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Robbers hog-tied a 90-year-old woman, her daughter and their four household employees at their San Juan City residence before making off with about P1 million in cash and valuables Thursday morning.
The police said Luisa Chua Co was in her wheelchair getting some sun near the main door of her house on Hoover Street when eight men armed with pistols and knives entered the property around 7 a.m.
The men came in through the gate, which was unlocked at that time because the family driver was watering the plants outside.
The men held the driver and the rest of the household staff at gunpoint, ordering them to take Co inside the house. Co, driver Arthur Briz, helpers Joanne and Jerlyn Maco and caregiver Wendy Macaldo had their hands tied using belts and cell phone chargers, according to PO3 Gener Antazo.
The robbers then went upstairs and found Co’s 50-year-old daughter, Dolly, asleep in the bedroom. The investigator said one of the robbers nudged her using his gun to wake her up.
Dolly was taken downstairs to join the others, her hands and feet also bound.
The robbers took about 15 minutes to gather their loot: Cash amounting to P124,000, jewelry worth P500,000, watches, cell phones, cameras, laptops, and computer tablets.
Also among the items reported stolen by the victims was an ivory rosary valued at P200,000, Antazo said.
Investigators also recovered from the house a .38-cal. pistol apparently left behind by the robbers, he added.