By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – Police are investigating whether a group of individuals was commissioned to steal cable wires in the city.
Following the arrest last Saturday, five individuals, including a teenager, were apprehended for allegedly stealing P750,000 worth of underground copper cable wires belonging to a telecommunications firm in Barangay Mansilingan.
Among the suspects detained were a father and son from Bago City, Negros Occidental, while the three others were from Tandang Sora, Quezon City, and Romblon.
Police Captain Andy Ofalia, head of Police Station 7, reported that officers on mobile patrol around 4:16 a.m. noticed a group of people along the road.
These individuals were clad in reflective clothing and used traffic cones as though they were performing maintenance work in the area. They also employed a dump truck to remove the cable wires from a manhole.
Upon contacting the telecommunications company to verify the maintenance work, the police discovered that these individuals were masquerading as linemen.
When the officers approached, the suspects fled, leading to a pursuit that resulted in five arrests, while three accomplices escaped.
According to Ofalia, the group had been staying at a lodging house in Barangay Taculing for approximately five days prior to the incident. He suspects that they planned the theft and surveyed the area during their stay, noting that three of them were not from Bacolod.
The police captain remarked on their organization, highlighting that they were prepared with uniforms and tools for the crime.
“They were ready with all the materials and even had a truck to transport the stolen wires,” he said.
The investigation is also focusing on whether someone local financed the group’s activities. Police are examining the backgrounds of the suspects to ascertain if they have committed similar offenses in the area or have a history of related crimes.
Additionally, the involvement of the dump truck’s owner in the incident is being scrutinized.
Robbery charges are set to be filed against the five individuals on Monday, February 19, according to the station commander.
Last year, the city government of Bacolod proposed to the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) the formation of a task force in collaboration with the local government to bolster the fight against cable theft. In response, the BCPO established “Oplan Bantay Kable” to track individuals with the potential to commit such crimes, following a series of theft incidents where cable wires were cut and sold to scrap shops.
