Mandaue police now looking into manhole cover thefts, warn culprits of serious implications

Police Lieutenant Colonel Franc Rudolf Oriol.

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) has already conducted an investigation into the series of manhole cover thefts in some barangays of the city.

MCPO deputy city director for operations and spokesperson Police Lieutenant Colonel Franc Rudolf Oriol, said that after knowing about the robbery incidents, their director Police Colonel Jeffrey Caballes immediately called for a meeting to discuss the matter and give interventions.

Oriol said that the office especially, station 2 in Barangay Subangdaku and station 4 in Barangay Casuntingan are also in the process of identifying the culprits.

At least ten steel covers were stolen from different barangays in the city, he said.

Oriol said they suspect that the robberies were done by a group considering that each regular-size manhole cover weighs around 20 to 25 kilos.

Moreover, Oriol said that they are looking into the junkshops in the neighboring towns and cities.

He said that during the rampant cable wire thefts in Mandaue, they called and talked to junkshop owners in the city, not to purchase things that are possibly stolen. The junkshop operators reportedly promised to cooperate.

Oriol believed that junkshops would not accept the manhole cover because they bore signs indicating that they are city-owned.

“Mao gyud ni amoang gilocate karun, kung asa ni siya gibaligya mura’g naa gyud ni siya’y particular nga gibaligyaan,” said Oriol.

He warned those who stole the manhole steel covers that the city is serious about apprehending and filing a case against them.         /rcg

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