Police eye ‘inside job’ in chapel robbery

Police investigation into the robbery of the San Perdo Calungsod Chapel in the South Road Properties (SRP) may point to a possible inside job, said Insp. William Alicaba, chief of the Theft and Robbery Section of the Cebu City Police Office.

The he three security guards of the chapel gave statements yesterday to the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS).

Lemuel Verano Cuesta’s duty is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Raymund Tanelud’s shift is from 12 midnight to 8 a.m.; and Wilfredo Talisic is on duty from 4 p.m. to 12 midnight. They all denied involvement in the robbery that resulted in the loss of P100,000 cash and P34,000 worth of checks.

The guards have duplicate keys to a room that leads to another room where the money was kept.

“Their statements are very productive”, Alicaba said.

Alicaba said they will also be getting statements from the nuns and a chapel worker who use the room where the money was kept. Nuns Katery Capodngan and Frances Altabarino, and the chapel's administrative secretary Margarita Mateo also have keys to the room. The lock of the drawer where the money was kept was broken.

The money came from proceeds of baptismal and weddings held at the chapel last week. It was supposed to be deposited in the bank last Monday.

The burglary was discovered on Sunday morning but the actual looting could have happened on Sunday midnight or dawn.

The chapel was donated by the family of Henry Sy to the Archdiocese of Cebu. It opened last Nov. 29, a day before the National Thanksgiving Mass of Calungsod’s sainthood. /Jhunnex Napallacan and Chito O. Aragon