NINE notorious thieves from Metro Manila, identified as members of the Lavistre group, were arrested by Cebu City police after one of them was first caught stealing branded clothes at a mall in Barangay Mambaling on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
The first suspect, Angelica Capales, 35, from Quezon City, was caught by mall security with unpaid branded clothing and turned over to the
Mambaling Police.
During interrogation, she revealed the identities and whereabouts of her accomplices.
Police, led by Police Major Kenneth Paul Albotra of the City Investigation and Detection Unit, conducted a follow-up operation and apprehended eight more suspects: Marilyn Traspaderme Lavistre, 37; Liza Lavistre, 38; Nekia Lavistre Francisco, 20; Mark Talinio Castillo,
40 and Geralyn Ortea Perje, 39—all from Quezon City; Jason Pia Lozada, 44, of Sogod, Southern Leyte; Maricel Cruz Corre, 38, from Caloocan City; and Charneth Corpuz, 18, from Sampaloc, Manila.
Recovered from the group were various branded clothes worth an estimated P100,000.
Police Lt. Col. Maria Theresa Macatangay of the Cebu City Police Office said they had received reports on Monday, July 7, about the arrival of suspected shoplifters.
Investigation revealed that Cebu was the first target and that the group planned to hit Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo City next.
The suspects had rented an apartment in Cebu, where stolen items were found.
They would ship stolen items such as pants, t-shirts, bags, and shoes to a contact in Metro Manila, who bought them at half the retail price and funded the suspects’ living expenses in target cities.
According to mall security, the suspects bypassed alarms by covering security tags with other clothes so that they could leave the mall undetected.
One suspect was noticed acting suspiciously; she was seen stuffing a t-shirt into her crotch area and was promptly apprehended, leading to the group’s arrest. / AYB