Noontime heist at LBC branch: 'Unarmed robbers' take almost P80T

CEBU - Four men, who were believed to have fooled their victims that they were armed, took off with almost P80,000 cash at noontime yesterday at the LBC branch at Gaisano Country Mall in barangay Apas, Cebu City.

Also taken were three cellular phones of the employees and that of a customer.

The robbers threatened the employees of the establishment with a gun allegedly tucked on the waist of the biggest of the four men, who was also the one who took the money.

The robbers took P47,000 from the drawers, almost P9,000 from the day’s sales, and P20,000 from the vault. Two employees also lost their cellular phones as well as the lone customer.

The robbery reportedly lasted between five to ten minutes.

Sr. Insp. Mark Anthony Bastes, chief of the Theft and Robbery Section, believes that the robbers did not have any firearm as there was no gun pulled out.

The victims were identified as Mary Caryn Nasataya and Giecin Mae Obsioma, both customer associates of LBC. The customer was identified as Candida Mondoñedo, who was sent by her employer on an errand to send money to Manila.

The two LBC employees described the biggest of the four robbers to be about 5-8 tall and a bit fat.

Another robber, who carried the bag for the loot, was described to be short, fair-skinned and chinky-eyed. 

The two who served as look outs were described to be short and with dark complexion.

The four robbers wore t-shirts and short pants. They did not even bother to wear something to hide their faces.

The two lookouts and the bag man reportedly sped away from the scene on board a black motorcycle heading to the Mahiga Bridge then north towards Banilad.

The tallest of the robbers, who kept on holding on to something tucked on his waist, which the victims believed was a gun, reportedly just walked away casually from the crime scene.

“Ang kadtong taas nga tambukon mao’y mi-declare dayon ug hold-up. Ako siya gi-ingnan na ayaw lang hutda sir, nya iya ko gi-ingnan nga ‘ay saba diha, duklon tika ron,” Obsioma said.

After emptying the drawers, Obsioma said that the man went further inside to where the vault was placed and also took the cash kept there.

She also alleged that when she tried to talk to one who emptied the drawers, asking him not to take all the money, he reportedly touched her body and yanked her to take him to the vault.

Obsioma said that she can positively identify the tallest of the robbers if she sees him.

Julius Buhia, staff associate of main LBC branch located at Lapu-Lapu City, who arrived at the place after the incident, said that it was the first time that any of their branches was robbed as far as he could recall.

Buhia said that he has warned the employees to always be in full alert against criminals especially now that Christmas is fast approaching.

The LBC branch that was robbed has been there for the past six years and since it was opened, it never had a security guard.

Bastes said, establishments that do monetary transactions must post security guards.

“Kinahanglan nga naa ju’y gwardiya kay nag-involve gud ang ila business ug money. Daghang gwardiya diri pero wala pu’y mga armas. If maka-afford pa gani ang establishment, they should provide a CCTV camera,” Bastes said.

Bastes said that the police are also looking into the probability of an inside job.

“We are still to conduct further investigation about that. But any robbery, naa ju’y possibility nga inside job,” Bastes said.

Mondoñedo, the lone customer, said that two of the four robbers served as back up, and one of the two back-ups approached her and took her cellphone.

“Gusto unta nako tan-awon siya unya kay mi-ingon man siya nga ‘ayaw tan-aw, duko, ayaw palag,” Mondoñedo said.

The robber, whom she described as short, even attempted to put his hand into her pocket to check its contents, but stopped when the victim said she had no money and that her pocket only contained identification cards.

The victim however said that she had a P500 bill inside her pocket, the money she was supposed to send to Manila on instructions by her employer.

“Kaning mga suspects, naniid na lang ni sila daan. Nanulis na ni sila before. Mga agresibo na jud ni sila kay nanulis gihapon bisag wala gyuy mga armas. The manner of execution was simple,” Bastes said. — /NLQ (THE FREEMAN)