Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Stolen chapel bells found in junk shop
THE two century-old bells stolen from a chapel in Dumanjug town were recovered in a junk shop in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City yesterday.
Senior Insp. Ricardo Nayne, Dumanjug Police Chief, told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday that a worker of the junk shop reported to the Talisay City Police Station at 11 a.m.
yesterday and told them that three men tried to sell two old church bells Monday night.
The three men went to the Fajardo’s Junk Shop in Sitio Hollowblock, Barangay Lagtang. It was caretaker Michael Abendan who reported the matter to the police.
Abendan said that because the junk shop had no cash, the three were told to return yesterday for the payment.
PO1 Danny Oliver of the Talisay City Police Station said it was not known how much the bells were sold for.
Police waited all afternoon for them to return but they failed. Nayne said it was possible they read the newspaper reports on the stolen bells.
The two bells were stolen from the chapel of Barangay Pawa, Dumanjug, which is celebrating its fiesta in honor of San Jose this week.
The bells were reportedly built in 1907 out of melted jewelry and coins from ancestors of residents in Barangay Pawa.
Nayne said his men scoured junk shops and antique stores the entire weekend but failed to locate the bells.
Though they are yet to locate the men who sold the bells to the junk shop, Nayne said they have their eye on a resident of Dumanjug who drives a motorcycle for a living.
Nayne said the man is not a resident of Barangay Pawa. He added that Abendan’s description of one of the three men matched the features of the man they were after. (MEA)
