A 35-year-old man was arrested after posing as a buyer and snapping the cellphone of an online seller in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City.
According to a report by Police Lt. Col. Roldante Sarmiento, the incident occurred on May 4. The seller met the suspect in front of a mall in Quezon City after agreeing on an online transaction.
While inside the suspect's vehicle, he asked for permission to check the cellphone. After getting it, he told the seller to put the motorcycle down first. But when the seller got out, the suspect fled in the vehicle and took the cellphone worth P55,000.
The seller immediately sought help from the police. The suspect was chased but crashed the car, which according to the police was also stolen. Here he was caught and the cellphone was recovered.
It was learned that the man was previously imprisoned for carnapping in 2019. There are reportedly others who fell victim to his same modus operandi and two people want to file a case against him.
