ARMED ROBBERS WALK AWAY WITH SOME P500T WORTH OF JEWELRY, CASH

A pawnshop on Gorordo Ave. in Cebu City lost close to P500,000 in cash and jewelry to armed robbers yesterday afternoon. The robbers pretended to be customers before pointing a gun at the teller of Super R Pawnshop, according to Senior Insp. Jacinto Mandal Jr., chief of the Mabolo Police Station. One of the men then taped the teller’s hands while the other entered through the sliding door and opened the pawnshop’s vault. The establishment does not have a security guard, a closed-circuit television camera or a security alarm. After the heist, the robbers were seen walking calmly, taking items and cash worth P422,840.

An officer of the Mabolo Police Station says the pawnshop has no CCTV, security guard or a security alarm. Items taken by the culprits include cash from the pawnshop’s vault, cellular phones, and jewelries

Two unidentified robbers carted away almost half a million cash from a pawnshop on Gorordo Ave., Barangay Lahug, Cebu City yesterday afternoon.

“It was an alleged robbery. Two persons, one of them armed, pretended that they were about to pawn but instead pointed a gun at the teller and declared a robbery,” said Senior Insp. Jacinto Mandal Jr., chief of the Mabolo Police Station.

Mandal had observed that the Super R Pawnshop didn’t have a security guard, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera or a security alarm installed.

Police received the alarm at 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

One of the men taped the teller’s hands, while the other went through the sliding door and opened the pawnshop’s vault.

Jinky Garciano, 36, the only teller manning the pawnshop, said that they were planning to install a CCTV camera in their facility soon.

“We’ve been operating for a year. But if we really had a security alarm, I would immediately press it,” she said.

Garciano said that the man who taped her was wearing a white shirt while the other man, who took the cellular phones, cash and several jewelries, wore a black bonnet and a black jacket.

The items and cash taken were worth P422, 840.

“I tried to take off the tape from my hands but one of the men threatened me. So I did not move because I still have to live for my child,” she said.

Garciano said that yesterday was supposed to be her day off but she exchanged duties with the other personnel.

She said that the pawnshop only has one teller on Sundays.

Mandal said they would dig deeper into the incident.

They have invited Garciano to get her statement about the alleged robbery.

“Their pawnshop was covered with many tarpaulins. Only one person manned it during the alleged robbery and there was no guard,” he said.

“After the afternoon heist, they (men) walked away calmly,” Mandal added.

Personnel from the Crime Scene Investigation dusted the glass and roll-up doors of the pawnshop to see if the suspects left fingerprints.

They also checked the pawnshop for other evidences that might point to the suspects’ identities and whereabouts.