The jewelry—which other reports have cited as worth around PHP5 million—was gone in 15 seconds.
That’s how long it took for the Martilyo Gang robbers to do their thing at SM North EDSA last Sunday, Dec 15.
“The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) earlier said it is considering the possibility that the robbers at the heist are the same ones who also robbed the same jewelry stalls in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City in January,” report Cecille Suerte Felipe and Janvic Mateo in The Philippine Star.
The report quoted Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima, who revealed, “The problem was the crowbar came from the inside the mall, the distance of the guards from the crime scene and by the time security personnel were alerted lasted for 15 seconds, they were gone. It was so fast.”
That said, Purisima explained that was why “it was almost impossible for witnesses to describe the robbers, who managed to escape by mingling with the crowd.”
The robbery started out with one of the suspects posing as a customer. The man—whom witnesses described as between 5’3” to 5’5” tall, of medium build, dark-skinned, and around 24 to 39 years old—lingered around the stalls of F&C Jewelry and The Jeweller at the mall’s department store. He then proceeded to try on a gold ring and a gold bracelet. At some point, a man wearing a striped shirt approached him and, as the sales clerk narrated, whispered something in his ear. It was then that the two men started smashing the display cases using a hammer and a crowbar. It was not explained if the witnesses noticed the two men carrying the said tools when they were in the area.
Photo from MorgueFile
