Gem appraiser makes up robbery to veil inside job

CEBU, Philippines - A 24-year-old jewelry appraiser has been arrested Tuesday morning after she claimed that the jewelry shop she was tending was robbed when it was – in fact – not.

Grace Jasangas, a native of M'lang, North Cotabato, recently residing in Katipunan Street, Barangay Labangon, was arrested after police investigators made her confess that the alleged robbery did not take place at all.

Police Officer 3 Antonio Tejero, of Carbon Police Station said he and three other police officers responded to a robbery alarm at Dinero Pawnshop.

Initially, the suspect told them that she has been robbed but they were suspicious of her story because she kept on changing the details of the "incident" during investigation.

 "Hibulong man mi nga ingon siya nga gitulis siya unya ang mga silingan nga tindahan wa man gyud kabantay og commotion," Tejero said.

Upon further investigation, the suspect confessed she gave a "mug" full of jewelry placed inside a plastic bag to her two cohorts who then fled away.

"Amo na siyang gihangyo nga itug-an na lang kay dili ra siya mapriso," he said.

When Tejero knew the location of one of her cohorts, he immediately went to the interior portion of Labangon Bliss and looked for the person but he could not find him.

So he left a contact number to his neighbors and told them to ask the person to call him back.

Past 3 p.m., he received a call from an anonymous number telling him that he will return the jewelry at an agreed location but will not show up.

Tejero then went to Labangon Bliss and found a plastic bag with a mug inside containing assorted jewelry.

The recovered jewelry include 54 pieces of gold rings; 41 pairs of gold earrings and a piece without a pair, one piece of fake gold earrings, 14 pieces of gold necklace, three pieces gold bracelet, a piece of bungled gold bracelet and ten pieces of gold pendant.

The recovered jewelry are estimated to cost around P1.5 million.

The son of the owner who declined to be named said in an interview that he went suspicious on Jasangas after his parents asked him how much her daughter earns as an appraiser.

He said the parents allegedly told him she sometimes sends P30, 000  to P50, 000 a month to her parents. She reportedly was able to purchase a rice field, a modest house and three tricycle units.

Jasangas has been an employee since 2009 and proved to be a good employee not until her confession.

The FREEMAN tried to get the suspect's side but she declined to comment.

She will be charged qualified theft, according to Tejero.  (FREEMAN)