Cebu City: Burglars hit establishments, steal over P200T

CEBU, Philippines – More than P200,000 in cash was carted away by unidentified burglars and a robber who victimized three business establishments in separate incidents in Cebu City last Thursday and Friday.

In Barangay Talamban, personnel of Seem Sam Shipping, a shipping company, asked for police assistance after discovering on Friday morning that their office was burglarized and the culprits took at least P168, 107 cash.

Police Officer 2 Arniel Gabucan of Talamban Police Station said they conducted an ocular inspection in the company office and found out that the unknown burglars gained entry through the window of the comfort room located at the ground floor.

The burglars then allegedly destroyed the window grills, detached the six jalousie blades on it and cut the screen wire.

Once inside, they then proceeded to the drawers and lockers and destroyed them using a hard object.

Gabucan said a closed-circuit television camera was installed in the building but was not able to capture the burglary as it was not functioning.

The police officer said they are also considering the possibility of an inside job behind the incident.

Investigation is ongoing to possibly identify the culprits.

Meanwhile, burglars also hit a bar in Barangay Kamputhaw on Thursday morning and carted away P35,000 in cash while the establishment’s security guard was reportedly sleeping.

It was already 11 p.m. on the same day when the burglary at Besty’s Bar was discovered by 35-year-old Fredie Garcia, the bartender.

Garcia, after learning about the burglary upon reporting to work, immediately called up Fuente Police Station for assistance.

Police officers responded to the bar and conducted ocular inspection.

Footage of the CCTV installed at the bar showed two men, one of them wearing a cap and the other one sporting a tattoo on his left arm, destroyed the padlock and forcibly opened the main door of the bar at 4:55 a.m. on Thursday.

Once the two got inside, they immediately went to the cashier’s area and took the P35,000 cash inside drawer including an Oakley shades worth P9,400, said police.

The management of the bar said the security guard was sound asleep when the burglars broke into the establishment.

In another incident, a bakeshop along Katipunan Street, Barangay Tisa lost at least P8,000 cash to a man who robbed the cashier at a gunpoint early Friday morning.

According to police investigation, at around 5:20 a.m., a certain Boy Tatat appeared at the bakeshop and held cashier Jerlyn Maribao, 21, at gunpoint and asked for the bakeshop’s sales.

Fearing for her life, Maribao allegedly ran towards the comfort room while the suspect proceeded to the drawer and took the money inside it estimated to be around P8,000.

Punta Princesa Police Station is conducting follow-up investigation for the suspect’s arrest. —/NSA (FREEMAN)