One for the books: 5 nabbed for stealing novels, reselling online

About P120,000 worth of books earlier stolen from a mall were recovered by the Quezon City police from five suspects who were tracked down in three cities.

The first four to be arrested were identified as Aziel Patawaran, 31; Ana Dulay, 56; Rose Marie Martinez, 28 and Joseph Arce, 54.

According to the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Patawaran, Dulay and Martinez entered a National Bookstore branch at Fisher Mall on Quezon Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

The three suspects then took some books and hid them inside a shoulder bag before casually walking out of the store. The guard on duty, however, followed them to the parking lot, where Arce waited in their getaway vehicle.

A QCPD team alerted to the theft arrested the group and recovered 22 assorted novels worth P37,000.

A followup operation by the QCPD-Masambong police station  led to the recovery of over 200 more books amounting to P85,000 in Mandaluyong and Manila. Authorities also retrieved deposit slips from customers who bought the stolen books online.

The fifth suspect, Mila de Aroz, was arrested on Recto Avenue, Manila, where she was found reselling around 200 more books in the area.

Police said the books, mostly novels for the young adult market, were sold by the suspects through social media at very cheap prices.

The first four suspects face charges for theft while De Aroz was sued for violation of the anti-fencing law in the city prosecutor’s office.