MANILA — After an alleged attempt on Monday night to steal groceries from a Manila mall, two cashiers and their 2 alleged accomplices were taken under arrest.

Metro Manila police said that there was an attempt to steal groceries from a supermarket in Ermita.

The products were priced at P36,766.

The suspects were identified by the authorities as grocery cashiers Alyas Princess, 22, and Alyas Eli.

Alyas Renz, 24, and a 15-year-old girl were alleged accomplices.

Around 7:20 p.m., while Renz and the child were placing various groceries in a blue basket, a security guard noticed suspicious behavior.

They allegedly proceeded straight to cashier lane 3, where the two suspected cashiers were working.

The cashier’s monitor was purportedly on standby while he was keeping an eye on the security guard, but the merchandise was still being processed.

This indicates that the goods were purportedly unscanned and unpaid for.

Nevertheless, the suspects put the groceries in plastic bags right away.

The party was halted at the exit and asked for a receipt when they tried to leave the supermarket, but they were unable to produce one.

The groceries were seized as soon as they were brought to the supermarket’s security office.

A qualifying stealing case will be brought against the suspects.

Store security personnel immediately intervened, preventing the cashiers from leaving the store with the unpaid groceries. The local police were then called to investigate the matter.

The incident has sparked concern among shoppers who frequent the supermarket, raising questions about employee vetting and store security measures.

The supermarket’s parent company issued a statement assuring the public that they are cooperating fully with authorities and reviewing their internal policies to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“We regret the incident and apologize to our valued customers,” the statement read. “We are committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and trust.”