Forex shop loses P18 M to thieves

Suspected members of the “Acetylene” gang broke into a heavily-guarded foreign exchange shop in a mall in San Juan City and carted away P18 million.

Eastern Police District (EPD) director Senior Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said there are at least 30 security guards manning the 12 entry and exit points of the Unimart shopping center when the robbers struck during the wee hours of Dec. 1.

“It appears that the heist is well-planned. We are looking into all angles to solve the robbery incident,” he said.

Neri Sunga, 52, owner of Sanry’s foreign exchange shop, discovered the theft at 8:10 a.m. but reported the loss to the police several hours later.

Initial investigation showed that the thieves gained entry into the foreign exchange shop and the adjacent JT photo shop by detaching a galvanized iron sheet on the roof.

De la Cruz said the vault of the foreign exchange shop was found outside the shop. It was opened using an acetylene torch and emptied of P18 million.

The photo shop, owned by Josefina Tiongson, also lost an undetermined amount of cash.

De la Cruz said security guards manning the gates and premises of the shopping mall claimed they noticed nothing unusual during the said period.

He dispatched Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) who recovered a wrench, a pair of pliers and other tools in the foreign exchange shop. SOCO operatives also lifted fingerprints in the two shops.

The mall employs two security agencies – Prime Security and Anti-Crime Security Agency – to secure the area.

De la Cruz ordered San Juan police chief Superintendent Rodelio Jocson to put the 30 security guards deployed at the mall under investigation to determine whether they aided the thieves.

“We will dig deeper into the incident. We are confident that the truth will come out soon,” said de la Cruz.   – With Jose Rodel Clapano