Monday, January 05, 2009 Softdrink warehouse owner mistakes robber for a friend asking him for a gift
TWO men on a motorcycle carted away P2 million in cash from a softdrink sub-distributor in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City at past 1 p.m. yesterday.
Six hours earlier, a robbery took place in Barangay Cabancalan where a 40-year-old house owner was stabbed dead, but the theft and robbery section (TRS) and the homicide police downplayed theories that the culprits of the two incidents were the same.
Softdrink warehouse owner Rolando Menoza, 49, was carrying a black bag containing the cash when he was about to board his car, where his wife and a niece were waiting, when a man wearing a crash helmet approached him in front of RM Flandez Marketing.
Thinking the guy was a friend who was about to ask him for a gift, Menoza reached out his hand to greet him Happy New Year.
He was surprised when the suspect took out a .45 pistol and demanded for the bag.
The culprit’s companion parked the motorcycle on the roadside of M.C Briones St. or two meters from where Menoza parked his car.
“Gipakaingon niya ug mangayo ug pinaskohan kay kalma raman kaayo nga niduol niya. Pero pusil naman hinoon ang gition,” Montecalbo said.
He added that after taking the bag, the gunman hurriedly approached his companion, boarded the motorcycle and fled towards Consolacion town.
No shot was fired and the robbery took less than five minutes.
RS investigator Antolin Montecalbo said they are looking at an inside job because of the time the robbery happened.
He said the P2 million cash was the victim’s proceeds during the holidays.
It was supposed to be brought by Menoza to his house in Barangay Mabolo for safekeeping, while awaiting payment demands from bottling companies for the products he had ordered.
Montecalbo said except for Menoza’s wife and niece, nobody witnessed the robbery because all the employees—most of whom were having lunch—were far from the steel gate, which was closed when Menoza went out of the warehouse. (AIV)
