Mall thieves caught trying to shop with stolen cards in QC
Published Jul 6, 2026 03:01 pm
Five people were arrested in Quezon City after allegedly stealing a woman’s wallet at a mall and later trying to use her stolen bank cards at another shopping center, police said.
Bank cards recovered from the five suspects (Photo courtesy of QCPD)
The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said the suspects were taken into custody after security personnel at a shopping mall on Congressional Avenue caught them trying to use bank cards that did not belong to them.
Police identified the suspects only by their aliases: William, 22, of Parañaque City; Elaine, 34, of Manila; Celestino, 39, of Pasig City; Patricia, 28, of Parañaque City; and Rosalie, 41, of Dasmariñas City, Cavite.
The incident began at around 10 a.m. on July 5 when the victim and her mother were shopping for clothes at another mall in Barangay Pinyahan.
As they were about to pay, the victim realized that her pouch wallet had disappeared.
The wallet contained P9,000 in cash, bank cards, identification cards, membership cards, and other personal belongings.
After discovering the theft, the victim immediately contacted her banks to block her cards.
While on her way to Kamuning Police Station (PS 10) to file a report, she received a call from Project 6 Police Station (PS 15), informing her that several of her cards had already been recovered.
Investigators said the suspects were apprehended at around 3:30 p.m. after mall security became suspicious when they attempted to use the victim's bank cards but failed to present identification proving ownership.
The suspects were then turned over to police for further investigation.
The victim later positively identified the group, telling investigators they were among the individuals who had surrounded her shortly before her wallet went missing.
Police records also showed that some of the suspects had previous cases.
William allegedly has three prior theft records in 2026, while Celestino has previous records for illegal possession of a bladed weapon in 2019 and 2021.
Rosalie also has a previous theft record from 2021.
The five suspects are now under the custody of Kamuning Police Station and are facing theft charges under Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code through inquest proceedings before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.