Guard nabbed for stealing P1.6M jewelry, cash from pawnshop

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A security guard of a pawnshop in this city was apprehended in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental for allegedly stealing P1.5 million worth of jewelry and P160,000 cash from the establishment’s vault.

Police identified the suspect as RJ Navarro, 28, of Barangay Oringao in Kabankalan City, who was a security guard of Nema Agency and detailed to the Agencia Negrense Pawnshop at Luzuriaga Street in downtown Bacolod.

Senior Inspector Richard Fajarito, Bacolod Police Station 1 chief, said employees of the pawnshop discovered that the pieces of jewelry and the money from the vault were already gone on August 13.

Initial investigation indicated that the night before, the co-worker of the suspect said Navarro came back to the pawnshop at around 8 p.m. They both left an hour later.

The next day, the suspect didn’t report for work, Fajarito said, which led them to believed that Navarro may have something to do with the pawnshop thievery.

Fajarito said Navarro’s girlfriend was the one who informed the police about the suspect's whereabouts, and this led to his arrest Thursday night.

The stolen jewelry was recovered from the suspect’s aunt, while only P70,000 of the P160,000 cash was recovered from the girlfriend.

Navarro is now detained at the Kabankalan City Police Station and is facing qualified theft charges. (FREEMAN)