By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle
Three still unidentified armed men took off with some P110,000 after robbing a Petron gasoline station around 4:30 p.m. Monday in barangay Dampas, Tagbilaran City.
According to one of the gas station's cashier, the day's cash collections were supposed to be deposited to the bank when the robbers, reportedly armed with Uzi submachine gun held up all three cashiers of the gas station owned by Carmelita Racho.
According to one of the gasoline boys, Niño Casanova, the robbers were in their early 20s and were Tagalog-speaking.
Casanova said two of the cashiers stationed near the gas refilling stations were held at gunpoint by one of the suspects while a second one, who carried a bag, emptied the cash drawers.
The third suspect entered the gas station's office and took the cash collections of the third cashier.
One of the cashiers assigned in the office said she knew they were being held up after she heard their internal alarm but could not call for immediate police assistance as one of the suspects had entered the office and pointed a gun on her.
The gas station does not have a security guard during daytime.
Customers of the gas station who witnessed the broad daylight robbery said the suspects simply walked off after the incident.
A customer reportedly saw the suspects getting aboard a getaway motorcycle parked along Dampas Road, just at the back of the gas station.
SECOND ROBBERY
Unfortunately, Monday's robbery was the second time for the Racho Petron gas station. The first robbery which happened sometime last year where robbers took some P7,000.
According to Racho, the cashier in-charge of depositing their daily cash collections, a nephew, missed going to the bank on time which could have prevented the robbers from getting the loot.
The cashier designated to deposit collections usually deposits their cash at around 4 p.m., Racho disclosed.
The gas station owner said she employs a security guard from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The gasoline station has three cashiers and four gasoline boys.
STILL NO LEAD - POLICE
City PNP investigator SPO4 Justiniano Saco said they are still investigating if the incident had any connection to the robbery which victimized a cashier of Island City Mall last May.
Initial investigations of the City PNP revealed that the three suspects were allegedly spotted infront of the gas station hours before the hold-up incident.
Meanwhile, City Mayor Dan Lim, in a separate interview said that business establishments here in the city were already warned to beef up their security during the series of daring daylight robberies that victimized the Lim Caltex gas station, a Unitop Department Store cashier, three FCB Foundation employees and others in late December last year.
The mayor urged anew business owners to take into serious consideration the security of their establishments.
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