Man caught on video stealing phones nabbed

POLICE arrested an 18-year-old  man for allegedly involvemment in a series of theft cases in Mandaue City.

Police said two high-end cellphones were recovered after the arrest of David Jeminez, a resident of barangay Jugan, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.

Police said a Korean Internet shop owner sought help from them when he noticed Jeminez acting suspiciously inside the establishment in barangay Talamban, Cebu City on Friday night.

Members of the Talamban police brought Jeminez to the precinct for questioning.

Talamban police then contacted the Investigation Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City Police Office to identify the person.

At the Talamban police precinct, IDMB operatives found out that Jeminez was the same person caught by a  security camera  stealing an IPhone 4S owned by a Korean dentist inside his clinic in barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue.

PO1 Crestituto Raboy, investigator of IDMB, said Jeminez was also the same person who stole a Samsung Galaxy SIII unit at the Grand Royal Spa Allure Hotel in A.S. Fortuna Street in barangay Bakilid, Mandaue on Feb. 13.

Police said the man pretended to be a customer and tried to check in using the name Daniel Santos. The gadget was being charged in the counter when it was stolen.

Police later recovered the gadget in a cellphone shop in Cebu City.

Another IPhone 4S  believed to be one of the stolen items was also recovered by police in another cell phone shop in Cebu City.  Raboy said the man claimed he is a kleptomaniac.

According to Wikipedia, kleptomaniac is the inability to refrain from the urge to steal items for reasons other than personal use or financial gain

Raboy said the claim will be further investigated to find out if the man was just making  an excuse to avoid arrest./REPORTER JUCELL MARIE P. CUYOS