A 28-year-old man landed in jail after he allegedly stole an e-bike parked outside of a motel in Brgy. Carreta, Cebu City on Tuesday, May 21. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — When a 28-year-old man spotted an e-bike parked outside of a motel in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, he allegedly decided to “borrow” the vehicle for a joyride around the city on early Tuesday morning, May 21, 2024.
Instead of talking to the owner, however, the man claimed that he asked permission to the e-bike that he would borrow it.
As a result, the suspect landed in jail and would be facing a charge of theft.
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The incident happened outside of a motel in Barangay Carreta in Cebu City at around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21.
The arrested person was identified as a 28-year-old alias “Justin,” a resident of Barangay Carreta in Cebu City.
According to police, the suspect saw an opportunity to steal after spotting an e-bike parked outside of a motel in the barangay while the driver was taking a rest.
To the driver’s surprise, he reportedly saw that his e-bike worth P55,000 was nowhere to be found. He immediately reported the incident to the Mabolo Police Station.
Police, in a press release, said that the suspect was identified and located through the statement of a witness who saw the e-bike after it was stolen.
Shortly after, the suspect was arrested during a follow-up operation by Mabolo police at around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
In addition, police recovered the e-bike, whom the owner claimed was his vehicle that was stolen by the 32-year-old victim.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office, said that the suspect claimed that he asked the consent of the e-bike that he could borrow it.
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In an interview with CDN Digital, the suspect said that he decided to board the e-bike when he saw it after passing by with some friends.
The suspect allegedly took the vehicle on a joyride around the city and planned to return it after.
He further asked for the e-bike driver not to file the case against him and apologized for what he did.
As of this writing, the suspect is detained at the custodial facility of the Mabolo Police Station while waiting for a charge of theft to be filed against him.