He tried to pose as a Blue Eagle, but the act didn’t fool an eagle-eyed security guard in one of the country’s elite schools.
A construction worker was arrested for allegedly stealing bags belonging to students inside a cafeteria on the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City.
Rodrigo Santillan, 33, reportedly posed as a student and tried to blend in among the crowd at the Gonzaga Hall cafeteria Monday afternoon.
But a security guard in plain clothes noticed him picking up some backpacks and cornered Santillan as he was about to leave the cafeteria, police said.
Senior Police Officer 1 George Solitario of the Quezon City Police District’s Anonas station said the guard, Ruben Ameza, was able to recover three backpacks belonging to two Ateneo students, Joding Rillo and Ivana Mabuhay.
The alleged theft happened around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
According to police records, Ameza first saw Santillan walking about. A few minutes later, the security guard noticed the suspect with the three backpacks as the man was about to go out the door.
Ameza then ran after Santillan and caught him red-handed.
The bags contained a Samsung cell phone worth P10,000, an Apple iPod worth P20,000, and a total of P1,700 in cash.
The suspect remained detained at the Anonas station as of Tuesday.