Myrtle Sarrosa gives update on stolen phone, claims suspect is asking for larger reward

Myrtle Sarrosa gave her followers an update on her missing phone and her efforts to retrieve it.

On Facebook, the cosplayer and actress said the search turned into a chase that had her family driving from Pasay City to Quezon City.

Myrtle, who earlier promised a reward in exchange for the return of her phone, eventually succeeded in contacting the person holding it.

"My phone got stolen during Toycon and apparently the person doesn't want the ₱30,000 reward anymore... they are asking for more," she said.

After she realized that her phone was missing, Myrtle contacted her brother at home and he helped her activate the emergency lock and tracking features from her backup phone.

The tracker showed that the phone was at a mall in Quezon City. She and her family drove from Pasay City to look for it.

Myrtle was still in costume, so she asked her family to ask around for the phone to be more discreet.

"At one point we rang the phone. A girl answered Hello. Then immediately dropped the call. Feeling ko the person was around the area when she heard na may nag hahanap ng One Piece phone na may SB19 Signature (my phone had a distinct blue autograph sa likod ni Ken and Pablo)," Myrtle said.

The phone started moving a few minutes later, and they chased it through Quezon City.

"There were moments na we were only a few vehicles away from whoever had it. As in dikit na talaga," Myrtle said.

They continued following it until they circled back to the mall where they began the search. They sought the help of the security staff.

"I honestly thought we were about to recover it. Kasi katabi na namin siya sa tracker," she said.

"But as we used the ring feature... the person turned the phone off. The location froze. The tracker stopped moving. The phone suddenly went offline."

The mall was also already closing and Myrtle tried to figure out what to do. They tried contacting the phone and the suspect replied.

"I can't share everything yet because we're still hoping to continue communicating with the person who currently has the phone," Myrtle said.

"But let's just say... it doesn't feel like the goal is simply returning the phone anymore. Right now, it feels like the goal is to get more money."

She said she is hoping that the person will still choose to the right thing and thanked everybody who helped her in the search.

Myrtle is known for her work as a cosplayer. She previously appeared in the Kapuso series "My Ilonggo Girl," "Makiling," and "Nagbabagang Luha."

—Nika Roque/MGP, GMA News