‘Nurse’ caught stealing from hospital patients, visitors

A gay man, allegedly a member of the “Salisi” robbery gang, was caught passing himself off as a nurse to gain entry into hospitals to rob confined patients and their visitors.

Marikina City police chief Superintendent Sotero Ramos Jr. said he received numerous complaints regarding the modus operandi of John Ledesma, 35, who was caught in the act of stealing a clutch bag from a patient’s room at the Amang Rodriguez Medical Center at 5:30 a.m. yesterday.

“The suspect usually (strikes) while the hospital personnel are busy attending to an emergency situation,” said Ramos.

Ledesma, who admitted to the crime, is now detained at the Marikina City police station.

His latest victim, overseas Filipino worker Juner Santos, 28, claimed he found Ledesma in his sister’s hospital room, holding his clutch bag. When he asked why Ledesma was in the room, the suspect said he was a nurse and was looking for a patient due for a check-up.

Santos called the attention of the hospital security guards, who arrested Ledesma and turned him over to the local police.

Ramos said Joan Convocar reported two weeks ago that she lost two cell phones to a person who employed the same modus operandi as Ledesma.

Hospital officials said they recorded at least seven such cases in their establishment since last year.

Ramos appealed to Ledesma’s other victims to surface so additional robbery charges would be filed against him.   – Non Alquitran