BACOLOD CITY – A mall in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental has been robbed, police said on Easter Sunday.
Mall operations were temporarily halted on Black Saturday as a result.
Police Lt. Col. Nazer Canja, San Carlos police chief, said management decided to close the mall for a day pending the investigation of the incident.
Canja said that based on their investigation, an unidentified person entered the mall through the aircon duct.
He said the mall was closed on Good Friday and was supposed to reopen on Black Saturday when some employees who arrived early for work sighted the suspect on the ceiling at around 8:30 a.m.
The workers called police for assistance.
Police said the suspect carted away P43,000 cash and assorted piaya (a native delicacy) worth P2,000; 19 cellular phones valued at P201,000; eight perfumes worth P3,600; two backpacks worth P1,000; and four laptops worth P200,000.
The total value of the stolen items was P450,711.
Canja said there were security guards on duty that night but according to them, they did not notice any suspicious individuals or activities in the mall vicinity.
He said that eight laptops were recovered on the ceiling and they could not assume or conclude anything yet as investigation is ongoing.
Mall operations resumed on Easter Sunday.