(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
THE city is set to file theft charges against a man who allegedly stole four laptops, external hard drives and cellular phones from the Cebu City Legal Office (CCLO) over the weekend.
Ryan Cimafranca, 22, was arrested on Monday inside his residence in Barangay Lahug and is currently detained at the Waterfront Police Station.
Cimafranca was believed to have gained entrance into the CCLO through an open window.
Aside from the four laptops, he also ran away with four chargers, two cellphones, and two external hard drives owned by lawyers Jess Mikol Opay, Yedah Ylanan, Daisy Mae Garong, Mariam Fernandez, Eliodoro Diaz IV and Khrasna Pia del Solo.
But the police recovered only three laptops, a cellphone and four chargers from the suspect.
Investigators initially believed that Cimafranca was targetting the case files handled by the lawyers.
But SPO3 Ruth Violango, Waterfront Police Station investigator said that Cimafranca only wanted to sell the stolen items.
Cimafranca said that the missing items were sold to a dealer whom he did not identify.
Violango said that they were able to trace the suspect after witnesses tipped them that he is the son of a female fixer who frequents city hall.
On Monday afternoon, the mother then led investigators to Cimafranca, who was sleeping inside their house in Lahug.
Violango said that Cimafranca admitted to the crime but revealed that he was only an accomplice to a certain “Ayman” of Brgy. Basak.
Atty. Joseph Bernaldez, the head of the CCLO, said that the theft may have occured during the weekend when CCTV cameras were turned off.
The theft was discovered Monday morning when one of the staff from the legal office noticed that the drawers and cubicles were already opened.
“Na suta sa mga imbestigador nga abli diay ang bintana ni Atty. Fernandez. Possible nga didto gyud ni agi ang maong kawatan,” said Bernaldez.
Meanwhile, Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already formed a team to look into the matter.
He admitted that the incident alarmed him and that he is happy that the culprit was arrested.
“We are worried about too many things… but we caught the guy,” Osmeña said. /Zena V. Magto, USJ-R Journalism Intern