Chinese bizman loses gun, cash to thieves

CEBU, Philippines - Two robbers police brand as “car artists” stole from a Chinese businessman a gun, cash, and other belongings at 1st Avenue, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City yesterday morning.

Edsel Ng Go, 27, owner of Tri-gold Factory which sells sando plastic bags, lost the items which he placed in a sling bag he left inside his parked L300 Van.

In less than an hour, personnel of the Theft and Robbery Section led by SPO3 Armel Coloscos, recovered some of the items at the house of one of the suspects, a certain “Tikig,” in Barangay Tejero.

Go, a resident of Barangay Capitol Site, in an interview with reporters, said he parked his car in front of his office at 8 a.m. yesterday. He went back to his car an hour later only to discover his bag, which he placed at the back portion of the vehicle, already missing.

Inside the bag was a caliber .9mmm pistol, two check books and his wallet that allegedly contained P15,000. Except for the cash, all the items, including the assorted cards inside the wallet, were later recovered by the police.

Chief Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, chief of TRS, said he immediately sent his men to the crime scene after the victim called for assistance.

Coloscos and his team, at first, were not able to get information from the people at the vicinity who could have possibly identified the suspects because they were uncooperative.

Later, the police were able to keep in touch with a man who once employed the two suspects, who were only identified as certain “Tikig” and “Rolan.”

The police traced Rolan’s house in Barangay Tejero and met Rolan’s wife, who turned over to them the loot except the P15,000 cash.

Garciano said the suspects might have sensed that the police are already after them so they immediately went on hiding.

Meanwhile, a jewelry store inside the Gaisano Country Mall at Governor Cuenco Avenue, Barangay Apas lost close to P100,000 worth of watches Sunday afternoon.

TRS report showed that Nieves Piañar, 53, Department Head of the Mall, reported the stolen items were six Charles Jourdan brand watches. The robbery was discovered at 4 p.m.

Each of the watch cost close to P20,000. The total worth of all the lost items was P90,500, the report showed.

Piañar said personnel of the jewelry store noticed the glass door of the display cabinet already unlocked and the items gone.

Garciano said the jewelry store attendants might have became victims of robbers locally known as “mangtyempohay.” (FREEMAN)