Police now tracking outsider who took a tablet, cellphone from Quezon City SPED Center
- Quezon City police are pursuing a suspect who stole a phone and tablet from a Novaliches SPED center on Tuesday morning
- The suspect was caught on CCTV loitering among parents before snatching P20,000 worth of gadgets containing vital student files
- Following the theft, the culprit attempted to scam the victim's nephew by posing as the owner and requesting urgent e-wallet transfers
- Local officials believe the thief is a "dayo" or outsider, as residents failed to identify the man captured in the security footage
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Authorities in Novaliches, Quezon City, have launched a manhunt for a bold thief who was caught on camera stealing electronic devices from a Special Education (SPED) center before attempting to use the stolen goods to scam the victim's family.
Source: UGC
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026, at a SPED center in Barangay Santa Monica.
CCTV footage shows a man sitting calmly inside the facility, appearing to blend in with parents waiting for their children.
Seizing a momentary lapse in supervision, the suspect snatched a mobile phone and a tablet left on an employee's desk.
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Rogielyn Seasat, the facility employee whose devices were taken, discovered the theft upon returning from the restroom to assist a parent with a payment.
"Pagbalik ko po sa table galing CR, may magbabayad po na parent. And need ko po 'yung cellphone at tablet. Paghanap ko po, wala na po. Pumasok po ako sa bawat room, nagtanong po ako sa mga teacher kung nakapunta po sila sa table ko. Lahat po nagsabi wala. Tapos and then po, ni-review nila CCTV, may pumasok po na isang tao," Seasat said.
The stolen gadgets are valued at approximately P20,000 and contain critical SPED center files and contact directories.
The crime took an even more sinister turn shortly after the physical theft. The suspect accessed Seasat’s messaging apps to solicit money from her contacts.
Aldus Keith Villavicencio, the victim's nephew, nearly fell for the ruse when the suspect messaged him asking to borrow P1,000, eventually raising the request to P1,500.
"In-entertain ko siya na nanghihiram siya ng P1,000. Tapos sabi ko sa kaniya, ‘Sige, ano?’ Tapos kumbaga kinakagat niya rin 'yung sinasabi ko, sabi niya, ‘Okay lang ba na P1,500 na i-send mo sa akin?’ Sabi ko, ‘Sige, okay lang’," Villavicencio recounted. "Biniro ko pa siya na ‘‘Yun pa 'yung number mo, 'yung dati pa rin?’ Tapos nu'ng sabi niya, ‘Hindi, nagpapalit na ako ng number.’ Tapos may sinend siya sa akin na number."
His suspicions were confirmed after a quick call to his mother revealed his aunt’s phone had indeed been stolen.
The suspect was later spotted on a sari-sari store's security camera, where he was attempting to "cash out" money from an e-wallet.
When Villavicencio tried calling the number provided by the scammer, the suspect reportedly instructed the store owner not to answer the phone before quickly boarding a jeepney to escape.
Barangay Santa Monica officials believe the suspect is not a local resident.
"Pinagtatanong po niya kung kilala po namin 'yung pinakita nilang picture, larawan. Pinagtanong ko po sa aming mga kasamahan, sa nasasakupan po namin, hindi po namin kilala 'yung suspect po. Posible pong dayo lang po," stated BPSO desk officer Aileen San Jose.
The Novaliches Police Station is currently backtracking CCTV feeds along the suspect's escape route to establish his identity and facilitate an arrest.
In other news, a 26-year-old truck driver sustained injuries during the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday after his vehicle plowed into several concrete dividers and traffic cones at the EDSA-Quezon Avenue flyover. The initial impact sent heavy debris flying across the lanes, causing secondary damage to a passing passenger bus and a private sedan that were caught in the path of the wreckage. Emergency responders at the scene reported that the driver exhibited clear signs of intoxication and later confessed to consuming alcoholic beverages prior to operating the heavy vehicle. The accident caused a significant traffic bottleneck on the southbound lane of EDSA, with clearing operations lasting several hours before the road was fully reopened to motorists.
Meanwhile, the Philippine electoral community is mourning the death of Atty. James Jimenez, the veteran former spokesperson of the Commission on Elections, who passed away on January 28, 2026. Jimenez is credited with being the primary communicator during the nation's pivotal transition from manual voting to its first automated election systems between 2006 and 2022. The poll body honored his tenure as both their youngest and longest-serving official spokesperson, highlighting his rare blend of professional transparency and institutional integrity. Journalists and civil society advocates remember Jimenez as a steadfast defender of voter rights who maintained a calm, respectful, and witty demeanor even during the most high-stakes national crises.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
