Four "thieves" arrested

CEBU, Philippines - Four suspected thieves were arrested including a store keeper in Oslob who claimed to have won in a lottery game “swertres”.

Jimmy Odena, 35, was arrested Saturday after he admitted stealing P100,000 from a store he was working with in Poblacion Public Market in Oslob.

Odena earlier claimed to have won in “swertres” but he latter admitted that the money was actually from the store he was working with. The store owner Evelyn Erauda, 51, reported to the police station that her store was burglarized Thursday morning.

Erauda said she suspected Odena to be responsible in the break in because he was seen having plenty of money. Odena told his co-workers that he won in “swertres”. He even shared it with his co-workers by giving them “balato”.

The suspect has since then stopped reporting for work and went home to Barangay Bulan, Santander.

The police went to Santander to investigate the suspect and in the course of the investigation, they learned that the suspect also treated food and drinks to his friends and neighbors telling the same thing that he won the money. He also bought electrical materials for his residence.

The suspect, who worked for Erauda for over a month, admitted during the interrogation that he took the money from his employer. He will be charged with qualified theft.

In another incident, three young men were also arrested after they were caught stealing assorted items from a resto bar along Escario St., Barangay Kamputhaw Saturday.

The suspects were identified as Joel Alani, resident of Sitio Lawis Barangay Lorega, and two minors from Barangay Carreta, whose names withheld by The FREEMAN. They were caught stealing Azucena Resto Bar shortly before noon last Saturday.

John Michael Lim, 54, a resident of Barangay Mambaling and owner of the resto bar, reported that the suspects stole a refrigerator compressor worth P10,000, assorted electrical wires with circuit breaker and a fluorescent ballast worth P2,500 from the establishment.

The suspects gained entry at the establishment by destroying the padlock at the side gate and scaled through the ceiling and the wall.

Once inside, the suspects detached the electrical wiring and also destroyed the chiller refrigerator and took its motor compressor.

The suspects were arrested by the Special Operations Group of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office along Escario St. in possession of their loots. —  (FREEMAN)