Armed men rob boutique in Brgy Apas

CEBU, Philippines - A boutique located inside a mall at Barangay Apas, Cebu City was robbed by two unidentified men early morning yesterday.

Clothes Minded Gift Shop, situated at the ground floor of the said mall, lost a total of P13,000 after two armed men stormed inside the boutique during its opening at around 9:30 a.m.

Investigators said that boutique worker Richel Lusarito, 36, of Barangay Yati, Lilo-an, Cebu sustained a cut on her chin after one of the robbers poked a knife at her. Lusarito has just opened the store when the two robbers forced her inside.

The victim was locked inside the store’s comfort room. The robbers warned she will be killed if she shouts for help. It only took a few minutes before the perpetrators managed to force open the cash register where the money was kept.

They left without anyone noticing anything wrong. The stolen money were supposed to be deposited to the bank yesterday.

The security guard at the mall was not around during the incident.

Lusarito was able to get out only after pedestrians heard her desperate cry for help. The victim was taken to the North General Hospital for treatment.

A few minutes later, elements from the Cebu City Police Office Theft and Robbery Section and the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) arrived at the crime scene.

The SOCO managed to lift several fingerprint specimens at the crime scene which they will use to identify the two robbers.

However, investigators admitted that their search for the perpetrators would not be that easy, stressing that the boutique and the adjacent establishments do not have security cameras.

The police have long been reminding big business establishments to invest in installing security cameras.

Once Lusarito have fully recovered from her ordeal, the police will seek her help to produce an artist’s sketch of the two robbers.

Last year, a woman was also robbed near the same place after she got money from an ATM machine. (FREEMAN)