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THE
criminals-on-wheels are getting bolder and meaner!
Incidents of holdup and killings perpetrated by those
criminals riding on bikes and other vehicles are rising,
and we are wondering what the authorities are doing
about it.
Last
Sunday evening in Malate, a friend witnessed a snatching
incident that was like a stunt seen only in the movies.
It happened so fast, according to that friend, who was
almost sideswiped by the motorcycle that the snatcher
was riding.
“I saw
him coming toward a Korean-looking guy who was holding a
small bag while walking out of a foreign-exchange outlet
nearby. The guy on the bike moved like an acrobat. He
was leaning on his side as he approached the victim like
an eagle zooming in on its prey. After grabbing the bag,
he even dangled it in the air twice before tucking it
inside his jacket and riding away,” said my friend.
The man
was not alone as there were two big and burly guys on a
backup motorcycle who threatened bystanders into not
going after the snatcher, according to my friend, who
went immediately to the two policemen nearby who
apparently saw the whole incident. “I got the surprise
of my life when one of them even asked his buddy if he
would go after the snatcher or not. Parang bale-wala
sa kanila ’yung nangyari. Hindi ko alam kung takot sila
o walang kuwenta sa kanila ang nangyari!” my friend
added.
Remember
the shooting of a hapless 16-year-old guy who went after
a cell-phone snatcher in Better Living in Parañaque?
Roland Anthony Lim was busy playing inside a computer
shop just a few steps away from his house when a man
suddenly burst inside and grabbed his cell phone, which
was on top of his table. When the hapless victim ran
after the snatcher, he was shot pointblank in the head.
He died several days later in the hospital.
The
cell-phone snatcher surrendered to the police on the
night before Lim was laid to rest, but he vehemently
denied the accusations against him. However, a very
credible witness, who saw him peeking through the glass
window of the computer shop, pointed to him as the
assailant. But where is the accomplice who was driving
the motorcycle, which they used as their getaway
vehicle?
A recent
news report has it that several clients of a popular
restaurant in Quezon City were divested of their cell
phones and belongings by two big motorcycle-riding men.
It was already after lunch and only a few clients were
left inside the restaurant when the criminals struck. It
took only a few minutes before the heist was finished.
According to several victims, the criminals were very
professional and very swift in their movements.
There
are many more unreported shootings, snatchings, holdup
and other similar incidents which are perpetrated by
those criminals riding on motorcycles or moving
vehicles. The trouble with the authorities these days is
that they serve as mere secretaries who jot down the
incidents and add them up to their long list of criminal
statistics. In short, there are no follow-up operations
to apprehend those criminals at large.
No
amount of police checkpoints will stop those
criminals-on-wheels from plying their trade. The
incidents could be minimized, yes, but the criminals
will still be there waiting for opportunities to strike.
That’s
the trouble with this country. Criminals can freely do
their thing simply because the authorities are afraid to
confront them head-on. When an alert is sounded, these
criminals simply lay low and let the “heat” pass before
returning to action.
How many
more hapless victims will be added to the list of
statistics? This is the reason why many are hoping that
the next victims of those criminals would be the kin or
relatives of the police. Maybe that would prompt them
to do something about the growing criminality in the
metropolis.
*****
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