Bank loses P3-M to robbers

A security guard was seriously wounded and an estimated P3 million in cash was reportedly carted away by about eight still unidentified armed men after robbing a bank late Friday afternoon in Quezon City, police reported yesterday.

The robbers hit the Asia Trust Bank at the crowded Nova Plaza Mall in Novaliches, initial reports from the Central Police District-Criminal Investigation Unit showed.

PO2 Greg Maramag, officer on case, said the heist took place around 5:34 p.m. when the suspects forced their way into the bank. The bank’s security guard, who is yet to be identified, was seriously hurt during the robbery after he was shot by the suspects.

Police said the wounded guard was rushed to the Quezon City General Hospital even as police declined to give further information on the guard’s identity.

Police said witnesses saw one of the suspects running towards Sarmiento street after the heist, where a man on board a motorbike was apparently waiting. Witnesses further told investigators that the suspect was later seen transferring to a blue van (PUV 780). The getaway bike was later found abandoned along Dumalay street.

Police are still clueless on the identities of the suspects and to what group they belong. Operatives at the Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) declined to give details on the case saying it might jeopardize ongoing follow-up operations.