2 vendors nabbed for robbing lawyer of P1.5-M jewelry

Police arrested Thursday two vendors for allegedly conspiring to rob a lawyer of P1.5 million worth of jewelry in Mandaluyong City.

Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun, Mandaluyong City police chief, said suspects Albert Turdillo, 31, and Oscar Demetrio, 38, admitted their crime and yielded some of the stolen items.

Lawyer Avelino Sebastian, 54, sought the help of the local police after finding out last Nov. 18 that his expensive Rolex watch and several pieces of jewelry worth P1.5 million were missing.

A logbook at the Princeville Townhomes located along Laurel street, in Barangay Pleasant Hills listed Turdillo, a friend of Sebastian, as among those who visited the lawyer’s home.

Turdillo submitted himself for investigation. At the police headquarters, Turdillo took out a SIM card from his cellular phone, broke it and threw the pieces under a table.

However, unknown to Turdillo, a policeman was watching him from behind. De Sagun said the policeman gathered the SIM card and luckily it was still working when inserted into a cell phone, which revealed the text messages between Turdillo and Demetrio.

In one of the text messages, Demetrio was asking Turdillo to hand over to him the certificate of authenticity of the Rolex watch in exchange for P20,000.

Confronted with the evidence, Turdillo admitted he was the one who stole Sebastian’s jewelry and promised to cooperate with the local police to pin down Demetrio.

De Sagun said Demetrio was arrested right after handing over P20,000 to Turdillo near a convenience store in Don Antonio Village, Quezon City in exchange for the certificate of authenticity of the Rolex watch.

De Sagun ordered the filing of qualified theft charges against Turdillo and Demetrio before the Mandaluyong City prosecutors’ office.

The two suspects are currently detained at the Mandaluyong City police detention center.      – Non Alquitran