2 women lose valuables to same suspects

CEBU, Philippines - Two teenagers lost their valuables to the same suspects in two separate incidents yesterday and last Thursday.

The victims gave the same description of the persons who duped them – a woman with brown complexion and straight hair and a homosexual with black complexion.

In yesterday’s incident, Jessa Lara, 19, a house help and a native of Negros Occidental, said she lost her bag that contained her cell phone, charger, and P5, 000.00 cash. The incident happened outside the Gaisano Country Mall around 9 am.

The victim told The FREEMAN she was supposed to shop at that time when the female suspect approached her and asked about a certain car shop. The other suspect arrived while she was speaking with the female suspect.

Moments later, Lara said the female suspect reportedly placed something inside the paper bag she was holding and told her it’s P15,000 cash and she wanted to give the money to her. The bills were reportedly wrapped with a face towel.

However, just as the woman was putting the bundle into Lara’s paper bag, Lara said she felt that a certain force was exerted that made the paper bag fall to the floor. She then picked up the paper bag, but placed her other bag on a flat surface behind her. When she looked up, her other bag was already gone and the two suspects were already missing.

She also found out later that the supposed P15,000 cash were but pieces of paper. Lara said she was supposed to use her money to buy medicine for her sick mother.

Almost the same circumstances were also experienced by Jenny Caminade Mamalias, 18, outside the Ayala mall midday last Thursday.

Mamalias, a resident of Mandaue City, lost her phone and P100 cash to the suspects.

She said the suspects approached her and asked for directions because they are not from Cebu. One of the suspects reportedly asked to borrow her phone to contact a friend and P100. Like some form of assurance, the suspects reportedly made her hold a sock that reportedly contained their money. In a blink of an eye, the suspects fled, taking away her phone and P100.

The victim then immediately went to the Thief and Robbery Section (TRS) crying “sir, nailad ko”. —(FREEMAN)