'Devotee' caught with 4 stolen cell phones

Police nabbed a suspected thief, still wearing a devotee’s maroon shirt with the image of the Black Nazarene, in possession of four stolen cell phones.

Mobile patrol unit chief Superintendent Rolando Tumalad said Rogelio Regalado, 29, of Tondo, Manila was arrested along Katigbak Drive while the procession was ongoing. The cell phones in his possession were identified by his four victims as theirs, according to Tumalad.

“The suspect mingled with the devotees and stole their cell phones during the frenzy to touch the image,” Tumalad said.

Police officers from the Manila Police District’s theft and robbery section also rounded up six suspected pickpockets, including four women, during the procession.

Those rounded up were initially charged with vagrancy, Chief Inspector Benito Macalindong said.     – Nestor Etolle