COTABATO CITY — A daring burglary at a commercial establishment inside the Alnor Building in Cotabato City left a business owner reeling after an unidentified suspect made off with more than P1.1 million worth of cash and jewelry early Wednesday morning, July 1.
Police identified the victim as 28-year-old Sahara Salik, owner of MCC Prime Lifestyle, a store located along Sinsuat Avenue, Rosary Heights 9, Cotabato City. Salik is a resident of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
According to the Cotabato City Police Office, the burglary is believed to have occurred between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., although the incident was only reported to authorities at around 12:00 noon on the same day.
Initial investigation revealed that the suspect allegedly gained entry by passing through the comfort room window of the establishment before ransacking the store in search of valuables.
The crime was discovered at around 7:00 a.m. when a store employee identified only by the alias “Jeji” opened the establishment and found the interior in disarray. Upon checking, the employee noticed that the petty cash box had been forced open and a substantial amount of cash and jewelry had disappeared.
Police said the suspect escaped with P500,000 in cash and several pieces of high-value 21-karat gold jewelry, including a Damascus necklace worth P250,000, a personalized necklace bearing the name “SALLY” valued at P130,000, a pair of earrings worth P40,000, a ring valued at P82,000, and a gold bangle worth P120,000.
The total estimated value of the stolen cash and jewelry reached P1,122,000.
Investigators processing the crime scene recovered only two cigarette butts from inside the comfort room and a hammer, which are now being examined as possible evidence that could help identify the perpetrator.
Authorities, however, admitted that the establishment’s CCTV system yielded no useful footage of the incident. Investigators are now collecting surveillance recordings from neighboring houses and nearby business establishments in hopes of tracing the suspect’s movements before and after the burglary.
Despite the incident, Boyet Guerra, general manager of the security agency assigned to the Alnor Building, maintained that security measures at the commercial complex remain robust.
“We have 24/7 roving security guards in the area and more than 270 CCTV cameras installed throughout the complex,” Guerra said, emphasizing that the security agency had not been negligent in safeguarding the premises.
Police have yet to determine whether the suspect acted alone or had accomplices. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that the perpetrator had prior knowledge of the store’s layout and the location of its valuables, considering the method of entry and the specific items taken.
The Cotabato City Police Office has launched a follow-up investigation and is pursuing all available leads to identify and arrest those responsible for the burglary.
Authorities are urging anyone with information that could help solve the case to immediately coordinate with the nearest police station. The investigation remains ongoing.