Man steals motorcycle, defrauds P15K during test drive in Antipolo
Authorities are hunting down a man who allegedly stole a motorcycle and defrauded P15,000 from a neighbor during a test drive inside a subdivision in Barangay Mambugan, Antipolo City, Rizal on Feb. 25.
According to the Antipolo City Component Police Station (Antipolo CCPS), the incident occurred on Wednesday but was reported only by the victims on Friday, Feb. 27.
Based on the investigation, the victim, identified as “Angel,” saw a motorcycle posted for sale on Facebook Marketplace, which is a Yamaha Aerox, being sold by another victim, identified as “Noli," for 60,000.
Angel and Noli later discussed the sale of the motorcycle online and agreed to meet at Angel’s residence in the subdivision.
Upon arrival, Noli handed the motorcycle over to Angel for inspection and a test drive within the subdivision.
While Angel was test-driving the motorcycle, the suspect, identified as “Roose,” suddenly appeared and expressed interest in buying the same motorcycle. Police said Roose was a newly arrived resident in the subdivision and a neighbor of Angel.
The suspect then convinced both victims that he would buy the motorcycle. However, he claimed he did not have enough cash on hand, saying he only had P50,000 in his e-wallet account and asked to borrow P15,000 from Angel to complete the payment.
Authorities said the suspect promised that after purchasing the motorcycle, he would resell it at a higher price for a profit, which convinced Angel to hand over P15,000 in cash, as he may have trusted the suspect being his neighbor.
The suspect then boarded the motorcycle, taking the cash with him, and said he would test drive it around the subdivision. However, after waiting for about 15 minutes, the suspect allegedly did not return.
Police said the motorcycle and the suspect were nowhere to be found.