Saturday, October 04, 2008 News report leads theft victim to her ex-helper; P300T in jewelry missing
A WOMAN who allegedly stole more than P300,000 worth of jewelry from her employer was arrested Thursday night.
She was caught after the employer read a Sun.Star Cebu report about three women who applied for jobs as helpers and ended up running away with jewelry after a week.
Brenda Gebela, a clinical instructor for a nursing college, said her aunt endorsed Jeralyn Ala-ad, 18, after she said she was in need of a helper.
Gebela said that after she hired Ala-ad, the helper did not cause major problems but she noticed that her make-up was being used.
At 8 a.m. last Sept. 20, when Gebela, her husband and child left their house in Labangon, Ala-ad allegedly broke into her bedroom and stole all her jewelry and watches.
Gebela told reporters that she had gone barely an hour when she returned to find the house empty and unlocked.
Ala-ad had left along with her things and the door to Gebela’s bedroom was forced open.
Gebela then saw that all her jewelry was gone.
But last Thursday, Ala-ad’s former employer read in newspapers and saw on television the cartographic sketch that the police showed about three women who posed as helpers only to rob their employers a week later.
The former employer reported it to the Cebu City Police Office and told them that Ala-ad had a sister who lived in Lahug.
Senior Insp. Michael Bastes told reporters that after getting the tip, they chanced upon Ala-ad at 11 p.m. Thursday.
Gebela, who also read the report, appeared before the CCPO yesterday and identified Ala-ad as the one who robbed her of her jewelry.
They tried to recover these from various pawnshops but a piece of jewelry could not be claimed because Ala-ad lost the receipt.
Gebela said most of the more expensive pieces and her watches were still missing.
Ala-ad, when asked by reporters, admitted she took the items.
While she hails from Dauin, Negros Oriental, she has been in Cebu for seven years.
Bastes said he hopes that through the media, more of Ala-ad’s alleged victims will surface. (MEA)
