A 31-year-old man was caught stealing 120 kilos worth of sweet corn along Jakosalem Street, Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City, past midnight today, April 5, 2020. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 31-year-old man was caught trying to steal 120 kilos of sweet corn meant to be donated to the frontliners in the city.
Felix Leciña Rudas was caught by barangay tanods, who responded to a call from a shop owner along Jakosalem Street, Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City at early morning of April 5, 2020, said Police Major Armando Labora, Parian Police Station chief, in a phone interview with CDN Digital.
Labora said Rudas’ two cohorts, however, managed to escape from the pursuing tanods.
Investigation showed that the shop owner chanced upon Rudas and two others helping themselves to steal the sacks of sweet corn stored in the shop.
The shop owner then promptly called the roving barangay tanods, who responded to his call for assistance, and found the three men fleeing the area.
Unfortunately, only Rudas was caught while his two cohorts escaped.
The shop owner told the tanods that the 120 kilos of sweet corn worth at least P6,000 in the shop were to be donated to the frontliners.
Labora said that the Barangay Day-as tanods then turned over Rudas to the Parian Police Station which had jurisdiction over Barangay Kamagayan in Cebu City.
Labora said that Rudas was a known thief in the area and he was likely to sell the stolen items considering that he and his cohorts were 120 kilos of sweet corn.
Read more: Public urged: Secure homes, properties from thieves
With the incident, Labora is calling on the public especially shop owners and owners of business establishments to secure their properties because those who would commit crime would always seize on the opportunity to commit them like stealing things.
He called on the public to be vigilant especially in these time of the enhanced community quarantine where most employees were working at home or were staying at home because of the COVID-19 threat.
Rudas, on the other hand, was detained at the Parian Police Station pending the filing of charges.|