Police are hunting a habal-habal driver accused of stealing P50,000 cash owned by a woman who was killed in a road accident in barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City, last Sunday night.
Renato Llenes, a resident in the barangay, was pointed to by three witnesses as the one who stole the bag of Victoria Canoy.
The bag contained P50,000 and a cellular phone.
Luzviminda Torreon, 49, sister of Canoy, reported the theft to the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City Police Office.
According to the police, Canoy died on the spot after the Toyota van she rode on collided with a BMW wagon on Jayme Street in Paknaan.
The van with plate number GPZ-531 was driven by her husband Carmelito.
Also on board the van was the couple’s 16-year-old daughter Nenia. Carmelito and Nenia were injured in the incident.
The driver of the BMW wagon with plate number YAV-881 Jesse Joel de Manuel, 26, of barangay Jugan, Consolacion town, was also hurt in the collision.
Police said a man who personally knew Victoria secured her bag while waiting for paramedics to pull out the body from the wrecked van.
Police said Llenes approached the man and introduced himself as a barangay tanod then took the bag.
SPO2 Marcos Noval, IDMB investigator, said Llenes left after taking the bag but two men followed him and told him to turn the bag over to the barangay hall.
Police said the bag was already empty when Llenes surrendered it to the barangay hall.
Police went to Llenes’ house but was not found there.
Police said Llenes had not gone home since Monday.
A charge of qualified theft will be filed against Llenes, said police.