Former Employee Caught Robbing Grocery Store in Tondo
A former grocery store worker in Tondo, Manila, was arrested after stealing over half a million pesos from his old workplace.
The suspect, reportedly hooked on online casino gambling, went as far as disguising himself in a store uniform to pull off the crime.
The man slipped into the store unnoticed, hid behind a sack in the back area, and waited until everyone had left. Once the place was locked, he started snooping around and found tools to help him.
The suspect hit the jackpot when he stumbled upon the key to the vault, which he used to grab the cash. The staff discovered the robbery the next morning and immediately reported it.
“Pumunta siya sa likod, nagtago siya sa basurahan na sako, noong wala ng tao, nagsara na, dun na siya nagsimulang mangalkal hanggang sa nakakuha siya ng tools,” MPD-7 Abad Santos Police Station chief Police Lt. Col. Rexon Layug.
After reviewing the CCTV and investigating further, police identified the culprit as a former employee who had been fired for mishandling funds.
“Accordingly, tinanggal siya dahil nagkaroon din ng problema sa yung mga pera na hinahawakan niya ay nagkakaroon ng kakulangan,” Layug said.
When the police tracked him down to his house on Lualhati Street, they recovered some of the stolen money, but not all of it. Turns out, he had already gambled away a good chunk of it. Records showed he made bets ranging from P6,000 to P25,000 on various games.
“Meron amount doon sa pera na naitaya niya na, nung tiningnan namin transaksyon niya, meron siyang tayang 25k, 19k, pinakamababang nakita ko ron, 6k,” he added.
The authorities also found the stolen CCTV black box and the tools he used during the robbery. Currently, he’s in police custody and facing robbery charges. Despite being caught, the suspect refused to comment about the incident.
The incident points out how bad gambling addiction can get, not just for the person involved but for everyone around them.
In another post, 2 suspects arrested for robbery on footbridge in EDSA, Quezon City
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