Burglar storms cop’s room

CEBU, Philippines – An aviation police member who is to celebrate his 44th birthday today allegedly lost his P200,000 cash placed in a safety box inside his rented room in Sitio Fatima, Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City last Tuesday afternoon.

Police Officer 3 Lee Marinduque, 43, who is assigned at Mactan-Cebu International Airport and a member of Police Center for Aviation Security, lost the cash which he was supposed to use for his birthday party.

Aside from the cash, the yet unidentified burglar also reportedly took away his issued M-16 high-powered firearm.

Marinduque told members of the media that his boardmate informed him through a text message saying that the door of his rented room was open, its doorknob destroyed and a portion of the cemented wall near the door knob crushed.

Ruby Calimposan, the police officer's boardmate, informed him around 3:45 in the afternoon.

Marinduque then asked Calimposan to check his room and the latter found out that the room was in a state of disarray.

Marinduque immediately went back to his boarding house.

Inside his disordered room, Marinduque immediately searched for his issued firearm placed in his drawer but it was nowhere to be found. The P200,000 cash, he claimed, also vanished inside his safety box.

His laptop placed on the bed was left untouched, however.

The money, according to Marinduque, was proceeds from his business. It was meant to be used for the processing of his annulment and for his birthday celebration today.

Police Officer 3 Pedro Briones, investigator at Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Theft and Robbery Section, said Marinduque filed a blotter at their office.

Police said they will conduct a follow-up investigation for the possible identification of the suspect.