Thief nabbed while wearing victim’s shorts

It was the pair of shorts that gave him away.

A man and his six cohorts were charged with theft after they were caught in the act of burglarizing a house at Caras de Andalucia in Barangay (village) Culiat, Quezon City, shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Charlie Gabriel, 34; Kenneth Betito, 18; Leonardo Manchano, 18; Jomel Caballero, 18; Antonio Rogin, 18; Alexander Borromeo, 25; and Mark Anthony Arca, 18, were arrested by the police based on a complaint filed by the homeowner, Ciara Anna Tetangco.

Gabriel, the alleged mastermind, was even wearing a pair of shorts owned by Tetangco when he and his cohorts were rounded up by the police.

“That’s mine!” Tetangco said when she came face to face with Gabriel.

According to the homeowner, she only visits her house once a month. On Tuesday, she was surprised when she found out that several of her possessions worth P13 million were missing.

She promptly reported the burglary to the police who placed the house under surveillance on the chance that the thieves might return to steal the remaining valuables.

Inspector Alan de la Cruz of the Quezon City Police District’s robbery and theft unit said that shortly after midnight Wednesday, he and his men spotted seven men entering the house through the back door and arrested them.

De la Cruz said that Gabriel had been in and out of prison for theft several times.