Greed spoils teens’ ‘good’ burglary job

Four young men almost pulled a perfect robbery job had greed not got into them.

Two of them are now in the custody of the Manila Police District after their victim, Irene May Cabaluna, recognized them and filed a complaint with the police.

Based on the complaint, the two suspects, identified as Nino Xavier Launico, 19, and his cousin Mervin Nico Launico, 20, barged into Cabaluna’s house at 2425 Unit 2 Zafiro Street in San Andres Bukid on All Saints’ Day between 2 and 4 a.m.

Police said Cabaluna, who is actually the suspects’ neighbor, was then sound asleep at her room in the second floor. Investigation showed that the cousins had ransacked electronic gadgets and jewelry worth around P90,000 and some of the victim’s credit cards and were about to leave when they spotted Cabaluna’s mobile phone placed directly above her head.

They apparently thought they could add the phone, worth around P27,000, to their  loot. But when they took it, Cabaluna was roused from sleep.

However, she pretended to be still asleep but got to recognize the two suspects as her neighbors. She then waited for the two to leave her house, and watched them join two cohorts waiting outside.

After the group left, Cabaluna reported the theft to barangay officials which resulted in the arrest of the Launico cousins on Wednesday night. The suspects are reportedly members of the Bahala Na Gang. Their two other cohorts remain at large and the stolen valuables worth an estimated P116,000 was not recovered.

The duo was turned over to the custody of the Manila Police District (MPD) theft and robbery section who filed a robbery charge against them before the city prosecutor’s office.

Operatives of the police unit are conducting follow-up operations for the identification and arrest of the two other suspects in the burglary as well as the possible recovery of the stolen items.