Burglars ransacked DOLI office

Work was temporarily suspended for Department of Labor and Immigration employees at the San Antonio office yesterday as police investigators tried to unravel the circumstances behind a burglary incident that left an entire wing of the second floor ransacked.

Transactions with the local labor agency were disrupted for a few hours yesterday morning, giving authorities time to conduct an investigation on the DOLI break-in that could be the handiwork of more than one suspect, witnesses said.

According to former Labor Secretary Thomas Sablan, when DOLI employees reported to work early that morning, they found the processing section particularly disarrayed.

Police and labor employees were uncertain over the perpetrator’s point of entry since the crime scene bore no significant signs of forced access into the office, save for a few broken glass windows including the CNMI Treasury’s counter within the floor.

“When we opened shop this morning, the office was ransacked, like somebody went through it. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to the public. But we’d like them to bear with us until the completion of the police investigation,” said Mr. Sablan yesterday.

The Acting Director of Immigration also disclosed the agency with aid from police are set to conduct an inventory of the things that are missing from the office since the incident.

Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cecil Celes, in a separate interview, reported that the only item accounted missing since yesterday afternoon was a ring belonging to one of the employees.

Witnesses noted that the suspects apparently helped themselves to some candy treats left on an employee’s table, including soda pops while they administered their acts of crime.

Ms. Celes said the suspects were probably looking for money, judging from the broken glass window at the treasury’s counter.

Police reports reveal that as early as 7:32am, investigators were dispatched to the DOLI office to respond to the crisis.

“When police arrived, they noticed a lot of the drawers of the labor processing and immigration sections were on the floor, papers were scattered, desks were ransacked. But right now, there are no suspects. We are still conducting a thorough investigation,” said Ms. Celes.

Authorities also declined to comment on the theory that the crime was committed by an insider.

Reports however reveal that some employees who were missing office keys surprisingly found the lock openers on the very day the burglary was discovered.

“This is the critical part, it’s still not determined since investigation is still up in the air,” said the information officer.

Police are still gathering evidence that would hopefully point to the suspects.