A woman was found lifeless with multiple stab wounds on April 2 in Barangay Sauyo, Quezon City.
Based on the investigation of Quezon City Police District (QCPD) personnel, the victim was last seen alive riding a Grab car. On the night of April 1, she booked a ride from Quezon City to Pasig City.
QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit chief Police Maj. Elmer Monsalve said the car model indicated on the driver’s account with Grab was a Toyota Innova. But she was picked up by a different vehicle.
“Noong pipick-upin na siya, ‘yung pipick-up sa kanya doon na sasakyan, ang dala-dala nitong suspek ay Montero [When she was picked up, the suspect was driving a Montero],” Monsalve said.
The driver, identified as John Lester Alhambra, was immediately arrested on April 2. He admitted telling his victim that his Innova was not in good condition.
He declared a hold-up upon the victim’s entrance into the car. He was aided by an accomplice identified as Bryan Kenneth Yumol, who had been hiding at the back of the car.
The victim reportedly fought back, and this resulted in her death. Prior to this, she was able to send her location and tracker to family members. The information led to the arrest of the suspects. Both suspects are now facing robbery with homicide charges.
Monsalve gave the assurance that Grab’s system is very secure, but added that threats could come from another factor.
“Kapag nagkaroon ng human intervention doon sa system. Sino yon? ‘Yung driver [When there’s human intervention in the system. Who’s that? The driver],” he pointed out.
Authorities are advising commuters using ride-hailing apps to share their location tracker with family members, and to avoid riding cars which do not match the description on the application’s system.
They are also urging the public to report to the authorities any suspicious actions of drivers. – Report from Bea Bernardo/AG-jlo
