A 59-year-old noodle shop owner in Sampaloc, Manila was robbed of more than P240,000 worth of jewelry in just 23 seconds by four suspects on motorcycles Thursday evening.
CCTV footage showed four men arriving on two motorcycles past 7 p.m. and quickly approaching the eatery. Panic ensued as the armed suspects drew their guns, causing bystanders to flee. The footage captured the victim struggling with two of the men before eventually handing over her necklace and bracelet.
Despite the confrontation, the victim remained physically unharmed.
“They really targeted me,” the victim said in a GMA News Online report. “My necklace was hidden inside my pants, but they all cocked their guns at once. What I lost means nothing—what matters is that they didn’t hurt me.”
Barangay officials confirmed that no other individuals were harmed or robbed during the incident. Nearby establishments are now calling for increased patrols in the area.
Barangay 526 chairman Menchie Par acknowledged the concerns but said their watchmen are ill-equipped to handle heavily armed criminals. “You can see in the CCTV—they had high-powered guns. But our barangay tanods don’t carry firearms,” she said.
Police from the Manila Police District had just completed a routine patrol in the area moments before the robbery occurred. Authorities are now conducting a follow-up investigation to identify and arrest the suspects.
