A DELIVERY rider for an online jewelry shop is now in police custody after allegedly fabricating a robbery incident to cover up his gambling losses.
The 33-year-old man reported to the La Loma Police Station that he was robbed in Barangay N.S. Amoranto, Quezon City.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Jose Luis Aguirre, Commander of the La Loma Police Station, the rider claimed he was held at gunpoint and forced to hand over the money he was supposed to remit to the company.
“He said he was held up at gunpoint. But when our follow-up operatives went to the area and reviewed the CCTV footage, it showed that nothing happened in the area,” Aguirre stated.
Police said the suspect was entrusted with P326,000 to be remitted to the company. However, only a few pieces of jewelry and P10,600 in cash were recovered from him.
“He confessed to misappropriating the money. He admitted to using it for cockfighting. He confessed this to his manager,” Aguirre added.
Investigations revealed that the suspect had been working for the company for almost two years. When approached for comment, the suspect said, “No comment po ako, sir.”
Police are warning the public about the “hold-up me” modus, where individuals falsely claim to have been robbed to conceal the fact that they spent the money on vices.
The suspect is now facing charges of qualified theft.
