Basilan cop on leave nabs 3 bus thieves

For a trio of pickpockets in Mandaluyong City, it was a series of unfortunate events— from choosing the wrong victim to committing a crime in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Ruel Peralta, 35; Edmar Martin, 24 and Roldan Rosales, 19, were arrested on Monday night by a Basilan policeman after they allegedly stole a woman’s cell phone inside a bus running on Edsa.

Investigation showed that the 29-year-old victim realized that her Samsung cell phone inside her bag was missing. Suspecting that it was taken by the two men beside her, she grabbed the bag held by Rosales and saw him holding her cell phone.

The commotion that ensued caught the attention of another passenger: SPO1 Kingly James Bagay, who was on leave from the Basilan police to follow up some documents in Manila.

He arrested Rosales and Martin. Peralta, on the other hand, nearly escaped with another passenger’s cell phone but he was reported by another passenger, also leading to his capture.