An organized group of thieves stole an SUV parked inside a Bacolod home as owner awaits Christmas day
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental – A sports utility vehicle (SUV) parked inside a house in a subdivision in the “city of smiles” was taken by a group of thieves on the dawn before Christmas, December 24.
Bacoleña Janine Marie Duran Jimenez posted on her personal Facebook account what transpired on the dawn of December 24 as the whole world prepares itself for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
In her post, Jimenez said that their family SUV, a 2014 Mitsubishi model with pulsar red color, was taken by a group of thieves while they were deeply asleep at about 3:05 on Friday dawn.
They had to wake up on a much-awaited morning only to find out that the SUV they came to love would not be where it was parked the night before.
When they checked the footage of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed nearby, they saw the carnappers boarded a black Hyundai Starex Van, which served as their getaway vehicle.
Jimenez, who said that it was a sad Christmas for their family, then appealed to the netizens who might be offered the SUV for sale.
She also posted her contact details for those who could help them track their SUV.
Despite their family’s sad fate on one of the world’s happiest festivities, Jimenez wished the netizens a happy Christmas and God’s blessings.
Netizens flooded the “Like” button and as of this writing, 679 shared Jimenez’ post, in the attempt to help with the recovery of the vehicle.
A supposed Facebook friend of Jimenez, named Hani Peters Monge Hinaut, said a similar incident took place near their house where also a black Starex van was caught on CCTV camera used by the perpetrators as their getaway vehicle.
Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is currently trying their best to track the stolen SUV on the account of the CCTV camera and with the help of those who shared the Facebook post of the owner.
What puzzles the police is the fact that the SUV was parked inside the owner’s abode but the thieves were able to carry it without any noise.
Bacolod City, located in the island of Negros in the western part of Visayas, is one of the most livable cities in the Philippines.
It is dubbed as the “city of smiles” because of its Masskara Festival, a celebration every 19th of October, characterized by dancers wearing “smiling” masks.
Historically, the Masskara Festival was held in the middle of the crisis in the sugar industry, the main source of livelihood among the Negrenses.
The mask was used to hide the crying faces of the people of Negros who were suffering from famine and deep poverty.