Burglars victimize solon’s relative

THE GRANDDAUGHTER of Lanao del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo fell prey to thieves who broke into her house in Quezon City on Sunday morning, taking a still undetermined amount of valuables, including a sport utility vehicle.

The police said on Sunday that among the items stolen from Katrina Dimaporo-Ramirez’s room were Louis Vuitton bags, several pieces of jewelry, a cell phone and laptop computer. Not content with their loot, the burglars also drove off with the Hyundai Santa Fe (ASA 4175) parked in the garage.

At press time, authorities have yet to determine the amount of the valuables taken from Ramirez as she has yet to return from vacation. The victim, according to her house helper Laurence Paagi, is the granddaughter of Dimaporo, one of the suspects in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Case investigator PO2 Louie Serbito of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit said that Ramirez and her family went on vacation on Friday, leaving Paagi and caretaker John Mike Empañado, in their house at Filinvest II Subdivision in Barangay Batasan.

Empañado told the police that around 1 a.m. on Sunday, he was awakened by the sound of a revving car engine. He added that when he went out to check on the SUV, he saw it being driven out of the garage.

Thinking that it was Paagi behind the wheel, Empañado said he went back to bed.

Around 5:30 a.m., Paagi noticed that the SUV was not in the garage. This prompted him to check Ramirez’s room which he found in disarray.

Alarmed, the two reported the incident to one of Ramirez’s neighbors who called up the victim to notify her about the burglary.

Serbito said that they have yet to establish a lead on the thieves’ identities but noted that they may be holding a duplicate of the key to the house as there were no signs of forced entry.

He added that they were also looking at the footage taken by closed-circuit television cameras, saying they had found a multicolored, long-sleeved striped shirt which may belong to one of the burglars.  With Emichaella Añata and Evelyn Cruz