6 caught stealing items from a house in Lahug

Six suspected thieves, one of them a minor, were arrested after a brief chase by the Mobile Patrol Group that saw them loading into a multi-cab, items from an abandoned house at sitio Sudlon in barangay Lahug yesterday morning.

The suspects were Harvey Sarabosing, 28, Josephus Salamanca, 21, Virgilio Arias, 29, Jun Carlos,38,   Chelito Ballesten, 23, and a 15-year-old boy. They were later found to be residents of barangay Lorega-San Miguel.

Theft and Robbery Section head, Sr. Insp. Alexis Relado, said the policemen were able to recover some of the items that were loaded into a red multi-cab, which was driven by 50-year-old Marcos Muñoz, a resident of barangay Tisa.

The police, however, have no plans to charge the driver as a conspirator because he did not know the suspects who hired him, for P400, to drive the multi-cab loaded with things of someone who was supposedly moving to another house.

Muñoz told The Freeman that he was going to Lapulapu City to return the multi-cab he was driving but the suspects stopped him then told him that they would hire his vehicle to load furniture from one house to another in Lahug.

He said he was surprised, however, when policemen arrived and chased the men who hired him.

Two patrol cars, after getting the alarm from a security guard, arrived at the scene with PO2s Roweno Gabutan, Jimmy Dumalag and Dennis Hernandez, and PO1 Renato Noval, Jr. But the suspects quickly sped off.

Gabutan said that habal-habal drivers helped them in by offering their motorcycles in running after the escaping suspects.

The police later informed house owner, Alfred Cebedo, about the incident. They were even surprised to learn from residents in the area that it was the third day that the suspects have taken things out of the house.

Cebedo said the stolen items were air-conditioners and a refrigerator. He has yet to check what other items were taken but the police already recovered several upholstered sets, sala set, and cushion beds from the multi-cab.

Cebedo said the gate of the compound was locked but it was found forcibly opened with several items already gone from the house.

Ballesten, tagged as the leader of the suspected thieves, admitted that they took the things from the house without permission from the owner but he said it was already his second day of participation in stealing the items. There was another group who started it days before, he said.

Except for Ballesten and the teenager, the four other suspects denied involvement in stealing the items, saying Ballesten just hired them to load those things for P100 each.  — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE