Hardware store robbed in QC; P.5 million taken

Police are hunting at least three armed men who robbed a hardware store in Quezon City yesterday morning and carted away a P.5 million in cash.

Ruben Vitug, owner of VMW Hardware Construction and Trading, claimed that robbers pounced on his employees as they were about to deposit the money in a nearby bank.

The suspects, all in their mid-twenties, armed with .45 caliber pistols, escaped on board a white Mitsubishi Lancer (UGM0737).

Employees of the hardware store located along Quirino Highway, Barangay Kaligayahan, claimed that the incident took place at about 9 a.m., but responding policemen arrived four hours later.

"We called up the police hotline and they promised to raise the alarm, but they did not bother to come over and investigate," a female employee of the hardware store complained.

Several workers of VMW were on their way to a Planters Bank branch, which was a short walk from the hardware store. On their way, the robbers alighted from their vehicle and announced the heist.

One of the employees shouted for help but one of the gunmen hit him on the head with a gun. They handed over at least P.5 million in checks and cash to the robbers who immediately fled.

According to investigators, the robbery took only two minutes. The employees, however, were upset after policemen, particularly those from the Central Police District Station 5, came to the scene four hours later.

Reports surfaced that some policemen at the station, which is half a kilometer away from the crime scene, were unaware of the incident. Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Tor, CPD director, could not be reached for comment. – Matthew Estabillo