Former cook steals P.7 M from NKTI canteen

MANILA, Philippines - A former cook allegedly stole around P700,000 from a canteen at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City Monday night, police said yesterday.

Police Officer 2 Andrew Hega said the thief – believed to be a cook who was fired from the canteen – managed to break into the establishment, force open a steel vault and take around P700,000. The identity of the thief was withheld due to ongoing follow-up operations.

Canteen head supervisor Mildred Tiu discovered the burglary when she arrived for work at around 6 a.m. yesterday and found the vault forced open, Hega said.

Another supervisor locked up the office at around 9:10 p.m. Monday, said Hega.

According to the investigator, surveillance camera footage caught a man, his face covered with his shirt, entering the canteen’s office at past 10 p.m. Monday and covering the camera with a piece of paper.

Hega said surveillance cameras inside the canteen showed a man walking with his shirt pulled up to his mouth. However, employees were still able to recognize the thief as the former cook, he said.

Police believe that the suspect may have opened and climbed through a window at the dishwashing area.