Over P1 million worth of jewelry was stolen from a store inside a mall on Colon Street, Cebu City, after it fell victim to a 'salisi' operation. The crime was committed by three women, all wearing face masks and head scarves.
Incident Details
The incident occurred at around 1:45 PM on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, on the second floor of Colonade Mall. CCTV footage from the mall shows the three female suspects approaching the store, JC Jewel. Two of them pretended to browse and purchase jewelry while the third stood nearby. When the saleslady became distracted by the large number of items she had taken out for customers to view, the suspects allegedly slipped gold necklaces into a bag without her noticing. The saleslady only realized the theft when the suspects were already leaving.
Investigation and Suspects
Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, the store staff immediately identified the 'salisi' method used by the suspects. The Waterfront Police Station launched an investigation and backtracked street CCTV cameras, tracking the three women boarding a modern jeepney with a Lahug-Apas route. They later transferred to another bus, and dashcam footage from that vehicle showed them alighting in front of a bank along Osmeña Boulevard.
Police Colonel George Ylanan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, stated that they have already identified the suspects and will file theft charges once all documents are complete. "We have already identified the suspects; we followed them through backtracking of CCTV cameras in the area," Ylanan said. He added that although the three suspects covered their faces, there were locations where they removed their coverings.
