Jewelry lost as armed men rob Iloilo City pawnshop

ILOILO CITY, Philippines–Heavily armed men robbed a pawnshop in downtown Iloilo City Saturday morning fleeing with an undetermined amount of jewelry, a police official said.

No one was injured in the robbery at the Sarabia Pawnshop and Jewelry along Guanco and J.M. Basa Streets at the heart of the city’s commercial center, according to Superintendent Kim Legada, chief of the Iloilo City Police Office Precinct 1.

Legada said that around 10 men armed with handguns and rifles entered the jewelry store shortly after it opened at 9 a.m. and disarmed the two security guards. The employees were then held at gunpoint and ordered to lie on the floor as the robbers ransacked the store, taking the jewelry and pawned items.

A policeman who was near the jewelry store engaged the robbers in a brief gunfight but the robbers managed to flee on board three motorcycles and two sports utility vehicles.

“It appears that the suspects belong to a well-organized robbery group basing on their operation, firearms and vehicles,” Legada told the Inquirer.

He said investigators are still determining the identity of the criminal group and the robbers.

The pawnshop was also still conducting an inventory on the stolen items and their value, said Legada.