Cops face blank wall on P4.5 M pawnshop rob

By Christian D. Supnad

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur- Police are still facing a blank wall on the P4.5-M pawnshop robbery that was carried out by unidentified thieves in the business center of Quezon Ave., this city.

A police report said the suspects carted away at least P4.5 million worth of assorted jewelries and cash money inside the Tambunting Pawnshop, a well-known pawnshop along Quezon Avenue in Vigan City last Wednesday.

Based on investigation, Chief Insp. Ernesto Navarro, Vigan chief of police, said at about 9 a.m. last Wednesday, pawnshop manager VilmaGascon opened the esatablishment and found out about the robbery as the moneu was missing.

The robbery shocked the business group in the city since Vigan has been dubbed as one of the most safety areas for business in the region.

Navarro theorized the robbers gained entry inside the pawnshop through a hole made by the suspects at the concrete flooring of the business building raising eyebrows among newsmen since the area is the business center of Vigan where aside from policemen, a number of watchmen under the Vigan City patrol the Quezon Ave, regularly.

The police chief said that the modus operandi of the suspects whom he called Minors is to dig up their entry point through underground, adding the robbers might be the same who were responsible in a series of robbery incidents in IlocosNorte, Candon City in IlocosSut and and San Fernando City in La Union.