Shoplifting suspect molested

A nine-year-old girl allegedly caught shoplifting accused the convenience store’s manager of sexually molesting her in Las Piñas City Monday night.

The victim, whose identity is being withheld by The STAR, filed a complaint before the Las Piñas police women and children’s concerns desk (WCCD). Police identified the suspect as Alex Perez, 30, and resident of 10 Pag-Asa St., Malibay, Pasay City who was arrested after the victim filed her complaint.

In her complaint before WCCD chief Inspector Marilyn Samarita, the victim said the incident occurred inside a room of the 7-11 store located along Naga Road corner Real street, in Pulang-lupa.

The victim said that before the incident, she, along with a female playmate, were caught in the act of shoplifting items by the store’s security guard.

She said her playmate was released after she was able to pay for thrice the price of one carton of fresh milk she hide under her shorts.

For her part, the victim said she had no money to pay for the toy she allegedly tried to steal. The victim said that the suspect ordered her into the store’s store room and asked security guard to leave him alone with the victim.

There, the victim said, the suspect forced her to undress and perform sexual acts on him in exchange for not pressing charges against her.

Perez is now detained at the Las Piñas police. Samarita said the suspect denied the girl’s story saying she made it all up.

Meanwhile, policemen are hunting down several unidentified robbers who stole the heads of two antique images of saints the other day inside a Quezon City church.

Residents of Barangay San Bartolome in Novaliches, Quezon City were shocked when they came to church yesterday and that the heads of two images of saints were missing.

The century-old wooden statues of San Bartolome and Nuestra Señora De Candelaria were still a top the altar of the parish church along P. Dela Cruz Street last Monday morning, but their heads were missing.

The police believe that the incident occurred during the wee hours of Feb. 19. Initial investigation showed that the church was undergoing construction and that its doors and windows were wide open even at night. – Rainier Allan Ronda and Matthew Estabillo