By CYRUS M. GARDE
ESCALANTE City — Some P2 million worth of cash and checks contained in the vault of the City Treasurer’s Office here were taken by still unidentified robbers.
This was the first time that burglars were able to break into the city hall, where the Treasurer’s Office was located.
A janitor discovered the emptied vault when he reported to work on Sunday.
Noel Dueñas said the vault was destroyed.
Dueñas reported his discovery to the police, whose station was only about 10 meters away from the city hall building.
It was most likely a case of an inside job, according to Supt. Leo Batiles, city police chief.
Batiles said the suspect/s must have already known the vault’s location. The robbery was “well-planned … [the] suspect really knew [when] to strike,” he said.
Commission on Elections personnel, who were in their office near the city hall on Sunday, did not notice any unusual activity in the vicinity.
Batiles said the suspect/s used a chisel and a hammer to destroy the vault.
He said they have leads on the identity of the suspect/s but refused to give any hint pending the result of the investigation.
It was learned that the city hall building does not have security cameras. Closed-circuit television cameras will be installed this week yet.
The incident happened even though there were security personnel in the building at the time.
Scene of the crime operatives from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office were deployed to the building.
Mayor Melecio Yap refused to comment pending the result of the investigation.
City Treasurer Wilfredo Ruiz cannot be reached for comment as of press time.
On March 23, robbers also took nearly a million of pesos worth of cash from the vault of the Mt. Carmel Church here.
The suspects remained unidentified until now./PN
