Thieves now use tear gas

CAMP GEN. OSCAR FLORENDO, La Union — Thieves here no longer use guns. They use tear gas instead in blinding their victims.

The police are looking into reports that thieves are now using tear gas in their operation to allow them to easily escape.

Senior Superintendent Arturo Lomibao, the regional police chief, said store and shop owners should ask their guards to look for tear gas canisters on their customers’ bags or pockets.

He noted that early this week, men in decent attire robbed a money changing shop in Urdaneta City. The robbers posed as dollar buyers and suddenly sprayed the shop’s staff with tear gas, causing them to suffer blurred vision and dizziness. The men then took all the money from the place. — Myds Supnad