Authorities arrested the alleged leader and seven members of a carjacking group after tracking them through a mobile phone application installed on one of the stolen vehicles, police said on Saturday.
The suspects were apprehended during a follow-up operation launched after a victim reported the theft of two motorcycles along J.P. Rizal Street in Marikina City early Friday.
During the incident, the suspects also took the victim’s cellphone.
According to police, the breakthrough came when the victim used a built-in tracking feature on the stolen cellphone, allowing authorities to monitor its location as it moved from Parañaque City to Caloocan City.
The real-time location data was immediately relayed to the Marikina City Police and the Eastern Police District, which coordinated an operation to identify and pursue the group believed responsible for a series of vehicle thefts.
Following the arrest of the initial suspects, one of those detained voluntarily disclosed information regarding the whereabouts of his alleged accomplices and the stolen vehicles.
The information prompted a series of follow-up operations in several areas across Metro Manila, including Pasig City, where one of the victim’s stolen motorcycles was recovered.
In total, eight suspects were arrested, while one alleged member of the group remains at large and is the subject of an ongoing manhunt.
Recovered from the suspects were eight motorcycles, two motor vehicles, two firearms — a .38-caliber revolver and a .45-caliber pistol — ammunition, several identification cards and cash.