2 pull quick heist as guard ‘sleeps’

TWO armed men on a motorcyle bolted with cash and cellular phones after robbing a gasoline station in Barangay Calajo-an, Minglanilla, Cebu late Wednesday night.

The robbery was carried out in less than two minutes. Security guard Zacarias Noya Jr., 58, was not able to put up a fight.

“Natulog man diay siya. Nakamata na lang siya human kuhaa iyang armas (He slept. He woke up after they took his gun),” said Minglanilla Police Station Chief Richard Gadingan.

One of the robbers who wore a helmet took Noya’s service firearm, a.38 revolver, and held him at gun point.

The other robber, clad in a white-hooded jacket, proceeded to the cashier’s booth of Petron Gasoline Station.

The robber poked a gun at Benedict Cañada, 26, and demanded him to go out of the booth.

They immediately fled with P16,000 worth of cash and two mobile phones worth P2,500 towards Talisay City.

Gadingan said the incident was filmed by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, but the footage was of low-quality.

“Dili kaayo ma-klaro. Dili mailhan ang mga tulisan (It’s not clear, the robbers can’t be identified),” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

The police will invite Noya, Cañada and a pump boy for questioning, and will be shown the rogue’s gallery.

Gadingan said he couldn’t help but get irked at Noya who was allegedly sleeping on his job. The gasoline station was about to close at 11:30 p.m.

“Kapila mi sige ug remind nga magbantay unya matog ra diay. Wala na lang gyud niya paabota nga manirado (We’ve been reminding him to stand on guard, but he just slept.

He could not wait until we close),” he said.

However, in a report over GMA 7’s Balitang Bisdak, Noya denied sleeping at that time, contrary to his co-workers’ statements.

“Wala ko natulog uy. Kita ko nila pero gikuha dayon nila ug kalit akong armas (I wasn’t asleep. I saw them, but they quickly took my firearm),” he said.

In a separate incident, a cellular phone shop lost P30,000 worth of gadgets after it was ransacked by unidentified burglars in Barangay Cogon East, Carmen on Wednesday.

Initial investigation by PO3 Ronald Nuñez of Carmen Police Station showed the burglars entered the shop by destroying the entrance door.

The burglars took a computer monitor, four memory cards, twelve cellular phone chargers and 15 repaired cellular phones worth P30,000.

Alan Vivar, 32, went to the police station at 7:40 a.m. to report that his shop was burglarized at dawn.

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