MANILA, Philippines — Apparently thinking he could evade arrest, a man who allegedly stole a computer set from a Quezon City public school ditched his loot and fled Thursday night when he realized barangay security men had seen him in the act of stealing.
But his time skirting the law proved to be quite short-lived as the same barangay security men caught up with him at a bingo gaming center inQuezon City, hours later and arrested him.
Christopher Santos, ofMejia Streetin Barangay Libis, was charged in the city prosecutor’s office over the weekend for burglarizing the guidance counselor’s office of theLibisElementary SchoolalongBoni Serrano Avenuein Barangay Blue Ridge by taking computer sets and two closed circuit TV cameras, all worth over P150,000.
Quezon Cityassistant prosecutor Edgar Saplala found probable cause to file the robbery case against him in court.Santosremains detained at the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) holding cell.
According to PO3 Marlon dela Vega, of the QCPD-CIDU, the robbery happened at around 10:30 p.m., last Thursday, while Barangay Peace and Security Officers (BPSO) Villamor Bilaya and Valeriano Muena were patrollingBoni Serrano Avenue.
The BPSOs spottedSantoscoming out of an abandoned house right beside theLibisElementary Schoolcarrying a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor and a central processing unit (CPU). WhenSantossaw Bilaya and Muena approaching him, the man dropped the LCD monitor and the CPU and ran but not before the two BPSOs recognized him.
Bilaya and Muena recovered the LCD and CPU, all worth P43,000, thatSantoshad dropped and informed schoolteacher Maribel Balabbo of the possible break-in at the Libis elementary school. It was Balabbo, together with the BSDOs and school principal Edna Isorena, who discovered the burglary at the guidance counselor’s office.
The school principal and the teacher found the room in disarray and discovered several electronic gadgets missing, including, a desktop computer set worth P52,000; a system unit worth P37,000; an LCD monitor worth P21,000; and two CCTV cameras worth P3,700.
They also found a discarded pick axe that the burglar apparently used to break into the office, and sought police assistance.
Two hours later, at around 12:30 a.m. Friday, the BSDOs along with operatives of the QCPD Eastwood station caught up with Santos at a bingo gaming center in Barangay Bagumbayan and turned him over to the QCPD-CIDU for investigation.
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