CEBU, Philippines - The Girl Scout of the Philippines-Visayas Regional Office at Capitol Hills, Barangay Kalunasan, lost over half a million pesos cash to an unidentified burglar.
The burglary was discovered by the office janitor, Teodolo Gabunada, at past 7 am yesterday while he was cleaning the room of executive director Aida Saromines.
Theft and Robbery Section chief Rolando Pinili said the burglar stole the P600,000 cash at past 10 pm the previous day, after caretaker Renato Vertucio checked the building first before sleeping. The cash reportedly comprised the collections, payment and bonus of the staff.
Before Gabunada arrived, day-shift security guard Arnel Villaner ended his shift at 8 pm by locking all the doors of the said building, where Saromines and her staff hold office.
After discovering the burglary, Gabunada informed cashiers Marilyn Duran and Maria Melma Cabriana who came first to the office yesterday.
Pinili said they will submit six persons for a polygraph test including Gabunada, Vertucio, Duran, Cabriana, and night-shift guards Leonilo Armodia and Glicerio Buquer.
Armodia and Buquer, in an interview, said they didn’t notice anyone sneaking into the building last Wednesday night. They also checked that all three doors of the building were padlocked prior to the burglary.
Pinili said they are eyeing inside job on the incident as they noted that there was no forced entry. The burglar also went directly to the cash vault, apparently having knowledge already where the cash was.
The number combinations of the vault also appeared that these were deliberately destroyed, Pinili said.
“Basin gi-lugit-lugit na lang ‘to aron di mahalata, (It might have been tampered so that it won’t be obvious.)” Pinili added. He said only the two cashiers know the number combinations of the vault.
Police have already lifted latent finger prints from the crime scene. (FREEMAN)