Burglars break into Quezon City bank but come out empty-handed

MANILA, Philippines—Burglars broke into a branch of Union Bank but went home empty-handed when they failed to open the vault at around 10 p.m. Wednesday, along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue at the corner of A. Mabini Street in Quezon City.

Security guard Aranuez Aproniano discovered the burglary attempt when he opened the bank and found the tools the robbers left behind. He immediately reported the incident to the manager and police. The branch suspended its operations on Thursday, to give way to the investigation.

Senior Police Officer 4 Alan de la Cruz, chief of the Quezon City Police District’s anti-theft and robbery unit, said the thieves “didn’t get a cent from the vault” and left the saw, screwdrivers and other tools they used in their failed attempt to rob the bank.

Investigation showed that the robbers climbed the side wall of the building and bore a hole through the roof and the ceiling with a hacksaw. The hold could allow the passage of one person at a time.

“The thieves did not succeed in opening the vault. They must have underestimated the security system of the bank,” De la Cruz added.

Appliances and office equipment were left untouched by the robbers.“It appears that they didn’t get a thing,” he said.

The motion sensor near the vault triggered an alarm but witnesses who lived beside the bank said that they dismissed it because they didn’t see anything suspicious at the bank’s entrance.

There was no guard on duty as the bank closed daily at 5:45 p.m. Police were reviewing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at press time to identify the robbers.