POLICE are requesting remittance centers and other financial establishments to install security system in their establishments to prevent future burglaries.
On Monday dawn, December 4, three unidentified men carted away over P240,000 in cash, jewelry and other devices from a remittance center in Barangay Poblacion, Dalaguete, Cebu.
Chief Inspector Rolan Aliser, the town police commander, said the burglars' break-in were captured by the establishment's four security cameras, but only one culprit's face was clearly seen in the footage.
Aliser believed the thieves are not residents of Dalaguete.
"Nagkalo ra sila. Mag-bonnet ta sila kon taga diri sila kay dali ra sila mailhan (They were wearing hats. If they are from here, they will definitely wear bonnets so they will not easily be known)," he said.
In the past weeks, several burglaries happened in Dalaguete, but these were solved after the perpetrators, who used minors, were arrested.
Aliser said they are looking into the possibility that the thieves know someone from the remittance center, or they have studied the layout of the establishment by posing as customers in the past.
"Makita sa footage nga medyo suhito sila asa nakabutang ang kuwarta, alahas. Apil na ang vault (The footage shows they are familiar as to where the money and jewelries are placed including the vault’s position)," he said.
He said the burglars took P210,000 cash from the vault, which they pried open by using a crowbar. More than P30,000 worth of jewelry, two cell phones and a wristwatch were also taken.
Investigators will review the past footage from the four closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, to determine if the culprits have made transactions before.
The CCTV camera of a neighboring establishment will also be reviewed.
The remittance center's CCTV video showed the thieves forcibly opened the roll up door at 2:21 a.m. and exited at 2:50 a.m.
Before they entered, the culprits stood outside the establishment, holding a bottle of beer, pretending to be drunkards.
The remittance center and the building where it is situated have no security guards.
Aliser said they have earlier requested the management of the remittance center to install security system that will link to the police station, but it fell on deaf ears.
The police official said they are tracing the store where the culprits bought the beer for their possible identification. (KAL/VoxPop Cebu)