THE Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) of the Dumaguete City Police Station under the supervision of Police Chief Jovito Atanacio has recovered more than P400,000 worth of assorted jewelry stolen from a businesswoman last week.
But the P200,000 cash also stolen from the woman was already spent by the suspects, the police said on Monday, February 6.
The suspect (name withheld for being a minor) told the TRS that he entered the residence of Consolacion Teksio using a ladder last January 28 and carted away a bag where the cash and assorted jewelry were placed.
He said he spent P100,000 for shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), which he bought at Sitio Canday-ong in Barangay Calindagan, and gave P10,000 each to three of his close friends, namely, John Rick Cariño, 18, who claimed to be residing in Purok Katubhan in Bajumpandan; a certain Boogie and a certain Alex. The rest of the money was spent in buying t-shirts and short pants for them.
The suspect said that he thought the items wrapped in a plastic were useless, so he threw it away near a garbage area located at an old building where nobody could see them.
When he was arrested, the suspect led the TRS operatives to the place where he threw the items and the victim, Consolacion Teksio, personally recovered the assorted jewelry placed in a tissue paper and wrapped with a plastic.
But Teksio said two rings with diamonds were lost. She said the two rings can be pawned in at P25,000.
The victim said the money that was stolen was intended for payment for their stocks from Cebu, like onions and garlic, among others, which is on consignment basis, while the assorted jewelry is her collection of more than 20 years.
Atanacio said the police were alarmed about the number of robbery cases the past weeks, prompting him to convene the intelligence section to strategize and double their efforts to catch the culprits, which they did in less than one week.
Lately, three minors were also caught by the TRS in Barangay Cantil-e for stealing.
Teksio assured Atanacio that she will file a robbery complaint against the suspect.
Atanacio said the robbery incident showed that the thieves had shifted from using rugby to shabu.
The suspect, who has no parents, goes in and out of the youth home for sniffing rubber cement and is a resident of the nearby town of Sibulan. (PNA)