ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Police have launched a manhunt for a female employee suspected of stealing P1million in items and cash from a pawnshop where she worked for eight years.
Jennie Andres-Capero, 28, an appraiser of Del Mabel Pawnshop in New Washington town in Aklan, some nine kilometers southeast of the capital, Kalibo, left a note seeking forgiveness from her employer and God.
Pawnshop branch manager Marites Esmael and appraiser Ma. Fe de la Luna discovered the robbery Monday morning after they found their vault open, said Inspector Josephine Jomocan, New Washington deputy police chief.
Also left was a handwritten note on a piece of yellow paper signed with “Jen,” the suspect’s nickname.
The message in red ink and in Filipino was addressed to “Mommy,” believed to refer to Purita Beltran, the pawnshop owner.
The writer of the note said she was able to enter the pawnshop and open the vault because she had the keys duplicated.
“Patawarin niyo sana ako at ng Diyos sa ginawa ko. May you and God forgive me for what I have done),” part of the note read.
The suspect said in the note that she regretted what she had done because her employer had been good to her but did not mention why she robbed the pawnshop.
Police Officer 1 Marlon Grejada of the provincial police crime laboratory on Wednesday said there were similarities between the handwriting on the note and that of the suspect based on pawnshop documents with Andres-Capero’s handwriting.
The pawnshop owner and employees also confirmed that it was the suspect’s handwriting.
But the note would still be examined by the regional crime laboratory in Iloilo City to determine if it was really written by the suspect.
Superintendent Ranulfo Demiar, regional police spokesman, said the pawnshop reported missing items and cash amounting to P1,008,077. These include P553,099 worth of jewelry and unredeemed pawned items, pawned items amounting to P429,500 and P25,478 cash.
Investigators said that before the robbery, Andres-Capero, a native of Mindoro and former appraiser, was investigated for unexplained discrepancies in transaction receipts amounting to P310,000. She was ordered transferred to another branch.