In less than a month 3rd LBC branch robbed

CEBU, Philippines - Another branch of LBC has fallen prey to robbers yesterday morning, the third outlet robbed in less than a month.

The branch is located along P. Rodriguez Street in Barangay Libertad, Bogo City.

Police said four men carried out the heist shortly before 9 a.m. They reportedly pretended to be customers before declaring a holdup, successfully taking away cash worth P70,000, a mobile phone worth P7,000, and a pocket wifi of one of the employees.

“Nisulod ang duha pero sa akong tan-aw dunay gapabilin sa gawas back-up (Two entered the branch but I think there was back-up outside),” Chief Insp. Hermano Mallari, Bogo City police chief, said in a phone interview.

The robbers reportedly escaped on separate Honda XRM motorcycles without plate numbers.

Mallari said it was a witness who informed them of the robbery, prompting them to conduct a manhunt up to the neighboring town of Medellin but the operation was unsuccessful.

Mallari said they intercepted two men on board a motorcycle but witnesses cleared the two of liability.

“Gi-hold lang una namo pero dili man kuno to mao kay possible pag-agi sa mga tulisan dunay gasunod nga laing gamotor mao to among na-intercept (We held the two in custody but the witnesses did not identify them positively. It is possible that they just happened to have driving behind the suspects),” Mallari told The FREEMAN.

He said it is likely that the robbers were not from Bogo City as they did not fear of being identified. They reportedly did not wear anything to conceal their faces.

Police are now coordinating with the LBC’s head to get a copy of the footage of the close-circuit television camera.

Gillamac said that remittance centers are vulnerable to robbery and that managers should provide enough security and not just rely on CCTV cameras. The branch in Bogo did not have a security guard.

“Wala gihapon silay security guard same with the other LBC branches unya ga-rely lang sa CCTV… unya dili mana ma-extract dayon ang footages unsaon namo pag-intercept? (They did not have a security guard and just relied on the CCTV… but we cannot extract the footages right away so how can we intercept?),” Gillamac said.

Earlier this month, an LBC outlet in Barangay Tabok, Mandaue City was robbed by two men. Two days after that, another LBC outlet in Barangay Taboan, Cebu City lost P42,000 to two armed robbers in broad daylight . The outlet was even located less than a kilometer away from the San Nicolas Police Station. — /JMO (FREEMAN)