By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – An attempt to rob a supermarket in Barangay Sum-ag was prevented after security guards discovered a cracked hole on the floor inside the establishment last Wednesday.
Police Captain Michael Tuburan, head of Police Station 9, said that a security guard inside the supermarket heard a noise around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. This prompted him to check the ceilings and alert the security guard outside the establishment.
During their inspection, they discovered a palm-sized cracked hole near an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) inside the supermarket around 5 a.m. on Wednesday. They immediately called for police assistance.
Upon checking, police found that the cracked hole on the floor was connected to a drainage system.
Tuburan said that three to four unidentified persons might have tried to forcibly enter the establishment through the drainage system situated outside the premises of the supermarket.
Police recovered a hydraulic jack, steel saw, two big crowbars, a small crowbar, two big flat screwdrivers, six grinder discs, a grinder, a bolt cutter, three pieces of (6x2x1) hardwood, and a (12x2x2) hardwood.
Tuburan mentioned that the unused grinder was recovered in the drainage system and was sent to a laboratory for latent fingerprint examination.
He believed that the robbers might have studied the area before executing their plan. “They were really prepared with the tools that they had,” he said.
The cracked hole was immediately repaired, and the drainage system was covered with grilles.
Following the incident, supermarket guards and the police checked nearby drainages to prevent recurrence.
Tuburan alerted all establishment guards to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the police.
He said they also conducted profiling of persons in the surrounding area to possibly track down those responsible for the incident.
