ILOILO – Seven individuals, including a confirmed minor, allegedly broke into the Don Bosco Boys Home and Vocational Training Center Inc. in Barangay PD Monfort, Dumangas, Iloilo past 2 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
Police Corporal John Rey Rubito, investigator of the Dumangas Municipal Police Station, said school personnel discovered the incident around 7 a.m. that day.
Initial investigation showed that the suspects, all out-of-school youth, allegedly sawed off the padlock of the tool room to gain entry. The facility’s caretaker did not immediately notice the incident due to the training center’s wide premises.
The suspects reportedly brought the stolen equipment outside the school and hid it in a camp near the facility.
Rubito said one of the suspects later confessed to the break-in, prompting police to retrieve the stolen property.
“One of the suspects came forward and disclosed what happened, possibly because of a guilty conscience. This led to the recovery of all the stolen equipment,” Rubito said.
Police recovered all missing items, which included one welding machine, 18 four-inch grinders, five five-inch grinders, seven seven-inch grinders, three electrode cables, three ground clamps, and a 100-meter extension cord.
Rubito said the school has no plans to file charges against the involved youth. Meanwhile, the minor involved in the incident was referred to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office for appropriate intervention.
As of this writing, Dumangas police were continuing follow-up operations to account for the remaining individuals involved in the incident./PN
