2 women arrested for mall theft

CEBU, Philippines - Two women were arrested for stealing the money of a student from Cagayan de Oro xx inside an uptown mall in Cebu City yesterday afternoon.

Mary Ann Felisilda, 22, lost her P11,000 cash to two women who she thought were just also shopping like her. The suspects were identified as Rosalia Teweza, 49, and Gaby Rose Reyes, 30. Both are from Tondo, Manila.

Felisilda, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said she was inside a boutique and was supposed to buy an item when she could no longer find her money inside her pouch.

The victim, a third year Nursing student at Lourdes College in Cagayan De Oro City, cried and immediately told the sales clerk that she lost her money. She then pointed at three women who allegedly kept on bumping her before she found her money missing.

“Sige sila og bangga-bangga nako kay piot daw. Piot gud tawon nga kami ra man gani costumer atong orasa,” she said.

The victim said she saw the same women in another boutique where she also shopped earlier. It later occurred to her that they were following and monitoring her.

The women reportedly just laughed upon hearing the allegations, but this did not prevent the sales clerk to call security.

House detectives William Jusoy and Elviro Ramos arrived and invited the victim for an interview. There, she again identified the suspects.

The detectives found two of the suspects near the boutique and also invited them for questioning. The two complied. The money, which was placed inside a plastic, was found from Teweza’s shoulder bag, Jusoy said. The money recovered was only P9,539, he said.

The victim, who was temporarily staying at a hotel near the mall, is set to return to Cagayan de Oro today. She said she came to Cebu for the first time to take advantage of the break from school.

Senior Insp. Rolando Pinili, chief of Theft and Robbery Section, said the suspects are suspected members of an organized syndicate.

“Kalma ra nya hatag dayon sila sa kwarta kay mga propesyonal na man. Nagsalig man nga naa ra’y mopiyansa nila,” Pinili said.

Teweza asked for an apology from the victim but Felisilda intends to file a case against the suspects.

A charge for theft will be filed against the suspects today, Pinili said. —  (FREEMAN)