Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 12:21am
Jovy Taghoy-Gerodias
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SIX heavily armed men robbed a jewelry shop on the third floor of a mall along Gen. Maxilom Ave. in Cebu City past 3 p.m. and ran away with expensive pieces of jewelry, including one-carat diamonds.
The heist occurred as police increased the alert status in anticipation of a possible rise in crime during the Yuletide season and the Sinulog celebration next month.
Three of the six robbers disarmed the lone security guard of Golden Treasures–Best of Jewelry before declaring the heist and smashing the glass display cases.
The heist was over in three minutes; the total amount of jewelry taken still remains undetermined. The jewelry shop owned by Albert Young holds business on the third floor of Mango Square Mall.
The shop’s security guard Rudolph Anthony Ramos, Young’s daughter Irene and a client were the ones inside the store when the heist was pulled off.
Ramos told reporters that the three suspects who went inside the shop were armed with revolvers and pistols.
SPO2 Ulysses Racaza of the Theft and Robbery Section (TRS) later learned from witnesses that three other men, who served as back-up, were carrying baby Armalite rifles.
Three of the six robbers have been identified through the rogues’ gallery compiled by the TRS and shown to Ramos and Irene. A manhunt headed by Supt. Pablo Labra II was immediately launched late yesterday afternoon.
The robbers’ getaway vehicle, a white Nissan Sentra (GEG-907), was recovered along Ma. Cristina Ext., Barangay Camputhaw after it was abandoned by the robbers.
Phone dead
Police noticed a bullet hole on the left windshield of the car near the driver’s side and bloodstains inside.
Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, who arrived at the area and spoke with Albert, said that the latter lamented the lax security at the mall and complained about the failure of the police hotline 166 to immediately take the call.
Jakosalem said Albert tried making a call to the police hotline while the robbery was ongoing but the call was not immediately answered, prompting him to drop it.
The police hotline is reportedly having a technical problem that has yet to be fixed.
Jakosalem said there is a need for the police to improve its response system. He also criticized the Oplan Universe implemented by the police, describing it as “useless.”
He also hopes that the mall management would beef up security measures after the incident by hiring more guards and installing security cameras.
Lost goods
While Albert has yet to declare the total worth of jewelry taken, Jakosalem said that based on his initial talk with the owner, the pieces of jewelry taken included one tray of men’s rings, some with one-carat diamonds, a tray of men’s bracelets and a tray of women’s chokers.
All diamond items stolen were mounted on 14k Italian gold, he said.
Security guard Ramos narrated that he was facing the jewelry shop when three men suddenly pounced on him. One held his nape tight, the other one disarmed him while the third one told Ramos to stay on the ground or he would be shot.
Ramos said the next thing he heard was the smashing of the display cases. The robbers used the handles of their guns and the store’s Christmas tree in destroying the glass cases, he said.
He heard what sounded like shots but was not sure if it came from a firearm or from the smashing of the display cases.
After putting the loot in a bag, the robbers fled through the exit door going to the third floor’s parking lot, where the getaway car was waiting. The car was parked some 20 meters away from the jewelry shop, making it easy for the robbers to rush out and flee.
Aggressive
Joel Tacud, a cook of a nearby restaurant, told reporters and police investigators that he spotted one of those who participated in the robbery, the one who was later seen carrying a long firearm, past 9 a.m. yesterday.
Tacud said that after the robbery, one of the robbers even pointed the long firearm at him and to a woman who was at the parking area.
He said the robbers also took the woman’s shoulder bag.
Leslie Llera, chief of security of the mall, said in a separate interview that the armed robbers also pointed a gun at him when he arrived at the third floor’s parking lot after receiving the alarm.
He said he was forced to scamper to safety after seeing the long firearms of the robbers.
He immediately called the detailed security personnel at the Osmeña side entrance/exit gates of the mall to intercept the fleeing car.
However, when the speeding car reached the ground floor and was supposedly blocked by security guard Rafael Garcia, one of those on board the car fired at the security guard, prompting him to hide for safety. Garcia said one gunshot was fired, which explained the bullet hole in the car.
A side mirror of a passing Tamarax FX was also shattered after it was hit by the slug.
Garcia said he was not informed that the passengers on board the fleeing car were armed. Had he known it, he said, he would have pulled out his gun and fired back.
source:
Robbers strike at mall store | Sun.Star Network Online
Robbers strike at mall store
Originally Posted by jdimpas
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