A pawnshop in the town of Bambang was targeted by thieves who attempted to rob the establishment using an underground tunnel, authorities confirmed.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo Cauayan, PMaj. Novalyn Aggasid, spokesperson of the Nueva Vizcaya Police Provincial Office, revealed that the suspects gained access to the pawnshop via a canal that was about 700 meters away from the building.
The suspects entered the canal and began digging a path toward the pawnshop before successfully creating a hole in the flooring. They tried to open the vault using an acetylene torch but failed in their attempt.
The robbery attempt was first noticed by a neighboring establishment when unusual sounds of digging were heard coming from the pawnshop’s floor.
The noise was immediately reported to the building owner, who investigated the matter but did not alert the police at the time.
The pawnshop had no security guard on duty, and its alarm system was not connected to the Bambang Police, which delayed the police response.
Witnesses reported hearing sounds from inside the pawnshop past 10 PM, but the break-in was only discovered after 7 AM the following day, and authorities were informed at around 9 AM.
Authorities have identified a group of suspects believed to be involved in the robbery and suspect that the same group has been operating in the region.
This is not the first such robbery, as a similar case occurred in Solano in 2018.
The Nueva Vizcaya Police have pledged to implement stronger security measures for businesses, including increased patrols with the help of force multipliers, and will further strengthen their Project Scuba to prevent similar incidents in the future.