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He was a trusted employee and he took advantage of that fact.
“Authorities are now looking for a janitor who took nearly PHP23,000 in cash and 58 cell phones worth PHP109,300 from several vendors’ stalls at the City Center Mall on J. P. Rizal corner Korea Streets in Barangay (village) Nangka, Marikina City before dawn on Sunday, March 22,” reports Jovic Yee in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV )camera showed Marciano Alvarado, a janitor who had been with the mall for five years, entering the establishment’s main entrance using the key provided to him at 2:25am. He had his own key since he had to get inside the mall before it opened for business so he could clean.
Indeed, Alvarado quickly “cleaned out” some stalls after that.
The report noted: “Within a 10-minute period, he broke into a cell phone booth owned by Deza Cañete and took 57 cell phones worth P109,300. He then went to Joey Mahinay’s pizza stall from which he stole another phone worth PHP1,500 and PHP3,062 in cash. Next, he forcibly opened the cash drawers of a lotto outlet, a hotdog stand and dumplings stall from which he took a total of PHP19,503.40 in cash.”
According to PO3 Mark Erwin Bumatay of the Marikina City Police, “the heist was discovered by security guard Maarof Dimasangkay around 8am.”
Photo: Stock
