Police nab 13 shoplifters

CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested 13 alleged members of a shoplifting ring outside a mall in Barangay Mabolo Monday night.

The suspects, six of them women, were caught with P39,000 worth of items believed to have been shoplifted after they failed to show any purchase receipts, said Theft and Robbery Section chief William Alicaba.

TRS operatives went to the area after receiving a call from a female informant about a group that was reportedly getting in and out of a white L300 van parked near the mall.

The informant, Alicaba said, is a saleslady from another mall in Mandaue City that had also been victimized by the same group of shoplifters.

Alicaba said they confronted the group and checked the van, which had license plate numbers YGT-400. It was registered to another person as the group only rented the van.

Police reportedly caught the suspects inside the van, with one of them arranging different items believed to have been stolen.The items included branded pants, lotions, bottles of vitamins, facial cleaners and other items with price tags still attached to them.

"Ato silang gipangitaan og resibo, pero wasila'y napakita," said Alicaba.

Alicaba identified the suspects as members of a shoplifting ring in Metro Cebu that has also victimized a pharmacy in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City in April and a department store in Barangay Opon, Lapu-Lapu City recently.

The gang's alleged masterminds were live-in partners Glenn Husain, 31, and Jennelyn Mapas, 30. The other suspects were identified as Antonio Espada, 54; Joel Flores, 35; Leeber tMacasero, 24; Jason Flores, 32; Roel Avila, 35; Marvin Camansi, 32; LyngenDelaCerna, 33; Cherly Serauz, 28; Aida Hernandez, 29; and Jenelyn Acibo, 31 and Christine Caldet, 26.

The suspects were mostly residents of Barangays Ermita and Sambag1 in Cebu City. One of them was from Barangay Wireless, Mandaue City.

The suspects were arrested at 10 p.m. last Monday, just as the mall was about to close.

"Ang ilang modus motira sila kanang padung na mag-close ang tindahan kay ang gwardiya, mga house detectives ug ang mga tindera, kapoy na," the TRS chief revealed.

He believes this was the same group that victimized the mall in Lapu-Lapu City.

"Sige sila sud ug gawas sa mall unya mura'g way naigo so nanggawas. Padung na 'to sila lakaw pag-abot namo," said Alicaba.

Alicaba said witnesses went to their office and identified the suspects as the same group that was captured by security cameras shoplifting P200,000 worth of grocery items from a pharmacy in Mandaue City last April.

Alicaba said the group originally has 15 members but they were only able to arrest 13 people last Monday.

The suspects refused to comment when asked about their arrest. One of them denied the accusations.They will face charges for theft.

Alicaba said they are also expecting today the warrant of arrest against the suspects in relation to the complaint filed by the pharmacy. — /BRP (FREEMAN)