BY: ANGELICA ARQUERO
At 2:20 PM on Friday, January 24, CCTV footage captured a man walking back and forth in an alley at Km. 4, La Trinidad, Benguet.
When the coast was clear, he entered a boarding house and went straight to the clothesline.
He inspected the clothes, then grabbed four pairs of pants and walked away.
The man, it turns out, is a thief.
The stolen clothes belonged to a 21-year-old student named Lory (not her real name).
According to ‘Lory, a victim, “I left some clothes inside, then went to grab more from outside. When I returned, my pants were already gone.”
She said this wasn’t the first time she experienced theft.
Last December, her shoes were stolen, prompting her to install CCTV.
“I felt sadness and anger because I lost something valuable to me. I worked hard to buy those,” ‘Lory’ added.
Ton’, Boarding House Maintenance, mentioned, “The CCTV captured him walking back and forth three times. He waited for the area to clear before sneaking in and stealing the pants. Then he quickly left as if nothing happened.”
Witness Alma noticed the man’s suspicious behavior.
According to ‘Alma’, “I saw him walking back and forth, but I went inside because I had a headache. My housemate asked me, ‘Did you pack up the pants?’ I said, ‘How could I? I’ve been sitting here.’ We checked the CCTV, and that’s when we saw the man taking the pants.”
The police identified the suspect, who had previously been imprisoned for theft.
Pltcol. Zacarias Caloy P. Dausen, Acting Chief of Police – La Trinidad PNP, mentioned, “This person already has a record of theft. We compared his photo and confirmed it was him. He sells the stolen items at thrift shops, probably to buy food since he’s homeless.”
The PNP then reminds, “Before leaving home, ensure all windows and doors are locked. Bring in clothes or valuables left outside to keep them safe.”
The suspect faces theft charges and remains at large.
This marks the third theft case in the town this year.