Manila, QC robberies: Snack first, holdup later

An armed tandem robbed a convenience store in Manila while another duo ransacked a money courier shop in Quezon City.

The food store robbers made sure they didn’t pull the heist on an empty stomach, while the other pair completed their loot with a PlayStation set.

After filling up on siopao and energy drinks, two men declared a holdup at a Mini-Stop store at the corner of Fugoso and Felix Huertas Streets in Sta. Cruz, taking some P50,000 in cash and valuables from the crew at around 4:30 a.m. on Friday.

Armed with revolvers, the robbers locked up store workers Mervin Lugada and Raymond Co inside the toilet before taking their cell phones and emptying the cash register. They then fled in a motorcycle.

One of the robbers was described to be about 5’8” and “good looking,” according to Manila Police District Station 3 commander, Supt. Ricardo Layug.

Layug said the two men first had a snack inside the store before staging the robbery, which happened on the day the security guard was on leave. They also easily gained access to the store’s vault after the employee who had the key left it unlocked.

In a separate incident in Quezon City, another armed tandem took some P50,000 in cash and valuables from an LBC Express branch on Visayas Avenue at around 2:20 p.m. on Thursday. They also fled in a motorbike.

In a statement to the police, employee Charles Joy Garcia said the two men took “less than 10 minutes” to empty the cash box and grab his and two coworkers’ mobile phones, plus the PlayStation and the Wi-Fi kit they had in the shop.