Helmet theft entrapment operation leads to arrest in Ilocos Norte

In a rapid response to a helmet theft, law enforcement authorities conducted a successful entrapment operation, arresting a suspect and recovering multiple stolen helmets.

On 1 November 2024, during the Tumba-Tumba Festival in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, 21-year-old barista Jeryco Recel from Brgy. Cabaruan, Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur, reported his helmet stolen after leaving it unattended on his motorcycle. That evening, Recel’s girlfriend spotted a listing for the helmet on a buy-and-sell Facebook group. Recel engaged the seller online, expressing interest in buying back his own helmet.

On 2 November, around 5:00 PM, Recel reported the incident to the Paoay Municipal Police Station. Under the supervision of Officer-in-Charge Police Captain Jackson Sugayen, police coordinated an entrapment operation with the Currimao Municipal Police Station. Officers met the suspect, Jayson Puruganan y Gonzales, 33, of Brgy. Cabaguan, Paoay, at an agreed location—a convenience store in Brgy. #7, Currimao. After an undercover officer handed Puruganan P2,500, authorities arrested him on the spot.

The operation recovered Recel’s helmet, as well as cash, a mobile phone, and a motorcycle, allegedly associated with the suspect’s activities.

Following the entrapment, a follow-up investigation led officers to a rented room in Brgy. #10, San Jose, Laoag City, where additional helmets tied to other thefts were found. The items are now secured as evidence. The suspect, currently unemployed, faces theft charges, with further legal action pending ongoing investigations.