‘Hungry boy’ caught for snatching

FOR this 16-year-old boy from barangay Calamba, Cebu City, snatching is not a crime because this illegal activity enables him to support his seven siblings.

Jun (not his real name) said he was involved in at least 15 snatching incidents until he was finally arrested yesterday morning after he snatched the necklace of a jeepney passenger in downtown Cebu City.

The boy was apprehended by pedestrians who saw the snatching and was turned over to policemen who happened to pass by in the area.

At the police station, the boy said he didn’t think snatching as a crime. He said this allowed him to buy food for his seven siblings.

The boy, the eldest among the brood, said his father died years ago while his mother is living with another man.

The boy said he had not eaten yet and his stomach was rumbling when he saw a woman walking on the corners of Sanciangko Street and Osmeña Boulevard around 9 a.m. yesterday.

The boy said he snatched the necklace so he could buy food.

Police recovered the woman’s necklace from the boy’s possession.

Police said they would coordinate with social workers for the possible filing charges against the boy./CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON