Woman killed in daylight robbery

What was thought to be a simple fight between two lovers turned out to be a robbery unfurling in broad daylight.

A staffer of a lending company was robbed and killed shortly after she withdrew money from a bank inside a mall in barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City.

Lyriza Amar, 24, loan relations officer of ZFA Credit Corp., died on the spot with a gunshot wound in the chest.

The victim was lying on her back when policemen arrived.

Amar was a native of Bago City, Negros Occidental but lived in barangay Lawis, Lapu-Lapu City  while working for  the lending company in the past two years, police said.

The victim was previously assigned in Antique province and was transferred in the company’s branch in Mandaue last Jan 3.

Police said the victim withdrew cash from a bank inside the J Center Mall in A.S. Fortuna Street past 10 a.m. yesterday.

The mall is just a few meter’s from the victim’s office.

The woman withdrew at least P100,000 cash. The P90,000 was owned by the company’s pensioner clients.

Amar was already walking outside the mall when a man appeared from behind and accosted her.

The two walked a few meters from the mall before a scuffle between them occurred in front of the building of Norkis Corp.

A man, who happened to be in the area during the incident, told police that the perpetrator  punched the woman in the face and tried to grab the victim’s sling bag.

The victim refused to let go of the bag, causing the perpetrator to lose his balance and fell to the ground.

The witness said he thought what he saw was two lovers having a fight.

The witness said he was about to approach the woman to help her when the man whipped out a gun and shot the victim.

The perpetrator took the woman’s sling bag then ran towards the mall. On his way there, the perpetrator chanced upon Felicisimo Alcoseba, 32, who was driving a motorcycle.

The robber pointed a gun at Alcoseba and forced him off.

Alcoseba said he was forced to yield his Suzuki Rider motorcycle after feeling the barrel of a gun pointed at his neck.

Alcoseba said he was not able to recognize the face of the robber as he immediately sped off.

Alcoseba’s motorcycle was later found abandoned in sitio Sudlon, barangay Maguikay.

Police said no one was able to see the man who left the motorcycle with plate number JJ-2345.

Arnel Mata, 37, a security guard of a nearby building, said he heard a gunshot but failed to see who fired the gun since he was covered by the long lines of vehicles who stopped for traffic.

Chief Insp. Micheal Anthony Bastes, chief of the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), said there was a report that someone was able to record the incident using the video of a cellphone.

Bastes said he is hoping that the person who took the video would appear in the police precinct.

Bastes said a former manager from the lending company who resigned two weeks ago will be invited for questioning.

Bastes said someone saw a blue motorcycle who sped off after the victim was shot.

Police said it was possible that the motorcycle was driven by the robber’s cohort but was forced to speed off after sensing that they were in trouble after the victim resisted.

Jhonny Perez, manager of the lending company owned by Zoraida F. Alcantara, said he and the former manager were the only persons who knew the woman’s routine when withdrawing money.

Perez said he is not suspecting that the former manager and his current co-workers were behind the incident since they were close.

“Kami sa opisina kay barkada kaayo mi dinha (We are all buddies at work),” he said.

Perez said the victim didn’t have security escorts when withdrawing money.

The victim’s father, who arrived from Bago City, last night, is hoping that the perpetrator will be arrested immediately.

The victim, second among four siblings, was a breadwinner.

The victim’s body was brought to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Mandaue for autopsy, police said.