Loan officer shot dead in robbery

CEBU, Philippines - A loan releasing officer of a lending firm based in Mandaue City was shot dead after refusing to give her bag to a robber while she was walking along A.S. Fortuna St., Barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City, around 10:15 a.m. yesterday.

Ly Ryzza Amar, 24, a native of Bago City in Negros Occidental, and temporarily residing in Barangay Lawis, Lapu-Lapu City, died after she was shot in the left side of her chest.

She is a loan releasing officer of ZFA Credit Corp. located along A.S. Fortuna Ext. in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City.

Amar just came from a bank at a nearby mall where she withdrew P100,000. The lending firm was supposed to release a loan to one of its clients yesterday morning.

As she was walking along A.S Fortuna, two  unidentified men approached and one of them announced a hold-up, pointed a .45 cal. pistol at her and tried to grab her bag.

But the victim  refused to let the bag go and the assailant shot her in the chest. The victim fell to the ground and the assailant grabbed the bag.

According to SPO2 Marcos Noval, witnesses reported that the assailant’s companion appeared to panic after the assailant shot the victim and fled separately.

“Posible nga wa to sa ilang plano busa naratol ang kauban ug iya ning gibiyaan,” Noval said.

After the assailant had the bag he then commandeered the Suzuki Rider Motorcycle of a certain Felicisimo Abatayo, of Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion town, and used it to flee the scene.

The motorcycle was later recovered beside the road in Sitio Sudlon, Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City.

Noval said that they are now checking the CCTV cameras of establishments near where the crime occurred for the possible identification of the assailant.

The bank’s CCTV camera showed the victim withdrawing the money but there was no sign if she was being followed.

Theft and Robbery Section chief Senior Insp. Ramil Morpos said they have yet to determine if the robbery was planned or just by chance.

Morpos also added that they are investigating if the perpetrators are linked to a group of robbers arrested last week in Consolacion town.  –(FREEMAN)