Guard, cohorts nabbed for 'stealing' diesel oil

CEBU, Philippines - A security guard and three of his cohorts were arrested by the operatives of the Investigation and Detection Management Bureau of the Mandaue City Police Office after they were reportedly caught in act of stealing five pails of Petronas Uranide diesel oil worth P20,000 last Tuesday evening.

Reysan Biason, 33, married and a stay-in security guard connected with AJL Security Agency, was arrested together with his alleged cohorts who were identified as Arnulfo Cabella, 33; Jackil Mariquit, 35; and Toribio Mariquit, 44, all residents of Barangay San Vicente, Liloan town after they "conspired" in stealing the said items from Petronas warehouse located in Barangay Centro, Mandaue City.

Senior Police Officer 2 Marcos Noval in an interview said that prior to the arrest of the suspects, Arthur Neil Mamauag, the stay-in technical service engineer of the said company, reported to the IDMB the loss of several pails of oil products owned by Petronas.

Mamauag also said he learned that Biason, together with his contact persons, will be selling out a number of pails of uranide diesel oil last Tuesday evening without the company's consent.

With such information, the operatives formed a team and positioned themselves outside the warehouse.

At around 8:15 p.m. last Tuesday, all of Biason's cohorts arrived and when they began loading the pails of diesel oil, they were immediately placed under arrest by the police operatives and brought to the IDMB office.

It was found during interrogation that the said pails of diesel engine oil which cost P4,000 each pail are being sold only for P700 per pail.

All four suspects are currently detained at the Subangdaku Police Station pending the filing of a qualified theft case against them. — Flor Z. Perolina (FREEMAN)