Jewelry heist ‘done in 15 seconds’

MANILA, Philippines - The robbers who stole pieces of jewelry at SM North EDSA over the weekend took only 15 seconds to get the job done, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima said yesterday.

He said this was from the time the robbers broke the glass display cases with a crowbar and a hammer, took the jewelry and until their escape. The crowbar bought from the mall’s hardware section.

“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,” Purisima said during a briefing after a command conference with Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas.

Purisima said the incident was so fast that it was almost impossible for witnesses to describe the robbers, who managed to escape by mingling with the crowd.

He said every aspect of the incident will be investigated by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) while the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies will look into the lapses of the security agency tasked to secure the mall.

‘Customer’ sets stage

One of the robbers who posed as a “customer” left behind the jewelry he tried on as his accomplices prepared for the heist, Police Officer 3 Erickson Isidro said.

The customer lingered around the stall of F&C Jewelry and The Jeweller at the mall’s department store before finally asking a sales clerk for assistance, the case investigator said. He was described to be 5’3” to 5’5” tall, of medium build, dark-skinned and around 24 to 39 years old.

Citing the account of the sales clerk who assisted the customer, Isidro said the man first asked about a gold ring, then a gold bracelet, but the sales clerk told him that she could not let him try on both items at the same time.

Isidro said the man relented and returned the ring to the sales clerk. The police officer said the man also tried on a gold necklace, which he also returned to the saleslady. The items were not among those stolen in the heist, police said.

The investigator said that it was after returning the necklace that a man wearing a striped shirt approached the customer and whispered something in his ear.

The two men then began smashing the display cases of the store using a hammer and a crowbar bought at the department store.

Chief Inspector Rodelio Marcelo, head of the  Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said the brief interaction between the two men showed the collusion of the customer with the robbers.

The QCPD earlier said it is considering the possibility that the robbers at the SM North Edsa heist are the same ones who also robbed the same jewelry stalls in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City in January.