A man points to the window grills destroyed by the burglars in order to gain entry into the pawnshop. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA).
ALMOST P300,000 cash were taken by the burglars from a pawnshop in downtown Cebu City.
The heist was only discovered by the pawnshop’s staff who were reporting for work around 9 a.m. yesterday morning.
According to PO3 Carl del Mar of the Cebu City Police Office Theft and Robbery Section (TRS), the burglars took a total of P271,488.95 from Cebu Gold Pacific Pawnshop and Jewelry located along Osmeña Boulevard.
Del Mar said the crime was possibly committed on Christmas Day, as the pawnshop was closed for two days from early afternoon of December 24 until December 25.
Del Mar said the suspects destroyed the window grills at the back of the pawnshop using an acytelene and then proceeded to the area inside the pawnshop where the cash box containing their loot is located. Acetylene torches and other equipment were found inside the pawnshop.
However, the burglars were not able to get the jewelries placed in a vault box.
“Ang cash box ra ilahang nakuha. Ang vault wa ma-open kay basin nahutdan og acetylene. Naay acetylene diri ilahang gibilin (They were able to take only the cash box. They were not able to open the vault maybe because they don’t have enough acetylene),” Del Mar said.
The TRS said they believed that the robbery was done by two or more people who were familiar with the place.