Mall Heist: Over P450,000 in gadgets stolen

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – Police are investigating a robbery that disrupted operations at a shopping mall in Barangay Palampas, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on Black Saturday.

Lieutenant Colonel Nazer Canja, the city police chief, reported that an unidentified individual gained entry into the mall through the building’s air conditioning duct.

“The mall was closed on Good Friday. We believe the offense occurred early Saturday morning,” Canja said.

Mall employees who had arrived early for work on Saturday spotted the suspect in the ceiling at about 8:30 a.m., leading them to vacate the premises and seek help.

A police report detailed the theft of P43,000 in cash, P2,000 worth of piaya (a native delicacy), 19 cell phones valued at P201,000, eight bottles of perfume totaling P3,600, two backpacks worth P1,000, and four laptops priced at P200,000 – a combined loss of P450,711.

“Eight laptops were retrieved from the ceiling when police arrived,” Canja disclosed.

He added that although security guards were on duty throughout the night, they did not observe any unusual activity. The number of guards on duty has been withheld for security reasons.

The investigation is still in progress, with Canja emphasizing the premature nature of drawing conclusions.

“We cannot yet ascertain whether the suspect acted alone or had accomplices.”

He confirmed that the mall resumed its operations the day prior.