MANILA, Philippines—Police on Saturday morning recovered from a taxi driver a bag that contained at least P1.7 million worth of jewelry which belonged to his passenger.

The driver, Ricky Eugenio, was briefly held by policemen in Camp Karingal, Quezon City, after his passenger, Leslie Hirasawa, accused him of running off with her bag which she had placed in the trunk of his taxi cab (TWZ 549).

PO2 Dario Gutierrez Jr., case investigator, said Hirasawa, who had just arrived from Japan, boarded the suspect’s taxi with her cousin on Friday night in Parañaque City. They asked him to take them to a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City.

As the victim and her companion were unloading their luggage from the taxi upon reaching the bus terminal, Eugenio sped off, taking with him Hirasawa’s bag which contained assorted jewelry worth P1.7 million and P5,000 in cash.

Supt. Franklin Moises Mabanag, Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit chief, said Hirasawa and her companion boarded another taxi to chase the suspect but failed to catch him.

The two then went to the police who sought the help of the Land Transportation Office in tracking down the driver of the taxi cab.

The police later arrested the suspect in his house on Ilang-ilang Street in Barangay Batasan Hills at around 8 a.m. Saturday.

“The driver said he thought the complainant would not persist in recovering her personal belongings. Apparently, he did not know that the bag contained a big amount of jewelry,” Gutierrez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

Mabanag said he would recommend that Gutierrez and five other QCPD-CIDU operatives who recovered the stolen items be given a commendation.

Eugenio on the other hand, was later released from police custody after Hirasawa decided not to press charges against him.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080519-137410/Cops-recover-P17-M-jewelry-from-errant-cabbie