Theft of laptops linked to killing of siblings

While the relatives of Petronio Rosales Jr. were grieving at his wake in Makati City, a group of thieves broke into their house on Sampaguita Street in Santa Ana, Manila on Friday morning.

The thieves entered the two-story house at around 11:15 a.m. by breaking the padlock on the door. They took away the Rosales family’s two TV sets and three laptops, according to PO3 Rodel Benitez of the Theft and Robbery Section of Station 6 of the Manila Police District (MPD).

Investigators are now reviewing footage from the CCTV camera installed by the barangay.

At the time of the incident, all the members of Rosales family were at Loyola Memorial Chapel in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati.

PO3 Rolando Villaranda of the Makati Police Station said the theft of the laptops might have something to do with the case of Petronio Rosales Jr., who was killed last Wednesday by gunmen on a motorcycle at around 12:25 a.m. in front of a restaurant-bar at the corner of Yakal and Talisay Streets in Barangay San Antonio, Makati.

The 34-year-old Rosales, who had a background in information technology, went home recently from the United Kingdom, where he and his wife were working. He was supposed to fly back there on Nov. 4, according to his relatives.

Rosales went home to follow up the case of his sister, 26-year-old Lauren Kristel, who was gunned down last July 21 in a jeepney by the fellow passenger. The incident happened at 7:10 a.m. at the corner of N. Garcia Street and J.P. Rizal Avenue, also in Makati.

Relatives told the Inquirer that said Lauren’s Facebook account had been hacked twice. But Rosales was able to regain control of the account and was even able to trace the email and IP addresses of the hacker, said to be a relative.

Villaranda, the Makati police investigator, said one of the laptops might contain information on some of the persons of interest in killing of the Rosales siblings.

Their relatives said they believed the hacking incident was connected to the death of two siblings.

The Makati police created Task Group Rosales, composed of 10 police officers, to investigate the death of the Rosales siblings. –atm