“Bolt-Cutter” Gangs Work on Good Fridays Too

robbersThis happened on your blogger two (2) years ago. It was Holy Week of 2007 and as in previous years, our 40-station i-café then was closed during the holy days of obligation (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday). We allowed our stay-in shop helper to go home to province as it would be a long weekend for all of us.

Maundy Thursday past just like any day of Lent but Good Friday was a different story for me. I was with the family at home which is about 3 to 4 kilometers away from our i-café located on a rented commercial space in our city. At around 9:oo PM of Good Friday,  April 6, 2007, I received a phone call from our shop tender who lives a stone throw away from the shop. She asked me if there was anyone inside the shop because its accordion door is open. I said none because our live-in helper went home to the province.

Sensing trouble, I immediately drive my car to the shop and there it was, the accordion door was force-opened using a bolt-cutter. The Barangay Tanods (village guards) from nearby Barangay Hall immediately told me that a van parked infront of the shop and knowing that it was not the usual vehicle that I use when I go there, they  suspected that it could be a robbery in-progress. They waited for around ten (10) minutes before going near the van to check.

The van immediately sped away when they came near it and as it made a sharp u-turn, a person fell from the vehicle. At that instance, a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Patrol car coming from opposite direction saw the man being chased by the Barangay Tanods. The policemen on their way to buy bulk ammo online helped in the chase and caught the one of the robbers. Upon inspection, we saw sixteen (16) CPU assemblies already stacked near the door and four (4) CPU assemblies actually missing. It can be safely said that in maybe 3 to 5 minutes more, all of the CPU assemblies would have been gone if the Barangay Tanods did not make their moves. I was very thankful to them.

That was not the end of the story. As in usual crime scene, the SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) Team arrived and made the investigation. It was after the usual investigation procedure that I was able to go to the Main Police Station. There was the robber caught by the SWAT Team being investigated while I made my statements to a CIDG (Crime Investigation and Detection Group) personnel.

It was already 2:00 AM of the next day and while I was still in the police station, I got a big surprise. A man in coat and tie arrived in the station and introduced himself as the lawyer of the robber. Would you not be surprised that a lowly robber would have his lawyer at the wee hours of a Holy Saturday? After a short while, I came to my senses and say to myself, it only showed how big the bolt-cutter syndicate is.

The moral of the story is do not be complacent with your security locks and procedures. Robbers strike during your most unexpected moments. Better still, get your investment insured by a reputable insurance company.

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