Couple loses jewelry to pregnant "burglar"

CEBU, Philippines - A couple lost almost P100,000 worth of valuables to a pregnant woman who burglarized their house last Saturday afternoon in Barangay Sambag, Bogo City.

Last Sunday, the police arrested the suspect, Rosalie Lepiten, who is five months pregnant, of legal age and a resident of Barangay Pandan but the authorities failed to recover the items stolen because they were already pawned to a pawnshop in Tabuelan and Bogo City.

PO3 Allan Dosdos, Bogo City police investigator, said victims Dionesia Nailon, 77, and her husband, Narciso Nailon, 54, were not at home at the time of the incident. It was their daughter Vanessa, 20, who was left to watch the house.

Dosdos said it was around 3:00 in the afternoon when Vanessa saw Lepiten come out of the master’s bedroom and head downstairs.

Vanessa even asked Lepiten why she entered the house without asking permission but the latter answered that she was just using the comfort room and hurriedly went out of the house.

Dosdos said Vanessa called for police assistance when she discovered that some pieces of jewelry and some cash placed inside a jewelry box were gone. These included a Chinese gold necklace worth P50,000; a pair of Chinese gold earrings worth P20,000; a Chinese gold ladies ring with diamond worth P20,000 and P40 cash.

According to Dosdos, Vanessa positively identified Lepiten through the rogue’s gallery of the police station.

Lepiten was arrested by the police at her residence in Barangay Maravilla, Tabuelan, where receipts of the items pawned were also recovered.

Police learned that Lepiten used fictitious names when she pawned the pieces of jewelry in two different pawnshops in Tabuelan and Bogo City.

Dosdos claimed that the receipt of the necklace pawned for P14,000 at Palawan Pawnshop was under the name of Analyn Cabataña while the receipt of the ring and a pair of earrings pawned for P5,000 at the Dover Pawnshop was under the name Analyn Lobitaña.

“Dili gihapon siya kalingkawas kay siya ma’y gitudlo sa personnel sa pawnshop nga mao gyu’y ga-prenda sa alahas,(She still can’t deny because she was identified by pawnshop personnel as the one who pawned the jewelry.)” Dosdos said.

Dosdos told The FREEMAN that Lepiten was arrested early this year for theft but the complainant withdrew the case after both parties settled the matter.

Appropriate charges are being prepared against Lepiten and are expected to be filed in court today.