Woman arrested for fake robbery

A pawnshop manager was collared by the San Juan police last month after she reported that the shop had been robbed. However, it turned out that she was the one who had allegedly sneaked out the money from the vault.

Arrested was Fritzethelinda Merelos, 39, manager of Ikari Panwshop, of Block 9-Lot 7, Canella St., Phase IV-D, Greenland Subdivision, Cainta, Rizal, who was charged with qualified theft but is now out on bail.

Last Aug. 29, Merelos reported to the police that three men armed with fan knives broke into the pawnshop along N. Domingo street, Barangay San Perfecto, San Juan, at around 6:45 a.m. and took some P2.6 million from the pawnshop’s vault.

Upon learning of the incident, pawnshop owner Anna Lyn Santos became suspicious. Last Sept. 1, she asked the pawnshops’s main office to conduct an inventory.

It turned out that the vault contained only P1.7 million when the purported robbery took place, contrary to Merelos’ claim of P2.6 million.

Santos alleged that when asked about the inconsistencies, Merelos confided to her that she had been sneaking out money from the vault since 1999. – Sheila Crisostomo