Cebu City Police apprehended 20 individuals for public disturbance and theft at the beginning of the Sinulog festivities. A group of 16 suspects were caught gambling and possessing illegal drugs in a pension house. They confessed to traveling to Cebu City to steal from Sinulog crowds. Four pickpockets were also arrested during the Grand Parade.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) made a significant number of arrests at the start of the Sinulog festivities, detaining 20 individuals for public disturbance and theft. According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy city director for operations of the CCPO, 16 of the suspects were apprehended in a pension house in the uptown area following the 'Walk with Jesus' event on January 10, 2025.
The group was initially reported by pension house tenants for causing a disturbance due to illegal gambling. When officers responded, they found the suspects engaged in gambling, and two of them were found in possession of illegal drugs. Upon investigation, the 16 suspects, all hailing from Quezon City, admitted to traveling to Cebu City with the intention of stealing from the crowds gathered for Sinulog activities. Macatangay stated that their primary targets included the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, shopping malls, and the Sinulog Grand Parade.Among those arrested were four pickpockets who targeted spectators during the Grand Parade. The stolen items, including cellular phones, were later returned to their victims, who were also visitors to the city. The CCPO reported that during the Sinulog Grand Parade on January 19, 2025, only five crimes were recorded, four of which were pickpocketing cases, and one was a case of physical injury.
Crime Cebu City Sinulog Arrests Theft Gambling Public Disturbance
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