LBC-Laoag branch robbed in daylight

LAOAG CITY, June 1– Four unmasked Tagalog-speaking armed men staged a broad daylight holdup at LBC Express-Laoag branch office on Rizal St. here Saturday, June 1 and fled with some P300,000 cash and other valuables, police reported.

Lawmen said nobody was hurt in the incident.The heist that occurred at about 10:30 a.m. was not recorded by CCTV (closed-circuit television) camera installed inside the LBC office due to brownout, hence, cops were clueless about the suspects’ identities.

Three of the suspects posing as customers barged into the office and declared holdup as the fourth accomplice stood outside and  served as lookout.

Armed with cal. 45 pistol, the suspects yelled at the employees and several customers to lie down on the floor and threatened to shoot anyone if they did not cooperate.

In a few minutes, the suspects quickly emptied the cash vault and divested some employees’ valuables, police said. The LBC branch office has no employed security guard during the incident.

Probers said the suspects herded all the people inside to go to the backdoor as the holdupers escaped using a get-away vehicle.

LBC branch manager Ruben Ramos told the press that about P300,000 cash was taken by the suspects. “Before the incident, I was supposed to withdraw more money from the bank to pay our customers’ remittances,” he said.

Investigators led by Laoag chief of police, Supt. Melvin Napiloy declined to comment if the heist was an inside job. “We are clueless yet and it’s premature to conclude that it was an inside job for lack of a concrete evidence,” Colonel Napiloy told the press.