A Mobile Phone Shop at Lae’s Top Town was robbed this morning and items worth thousands of kina were stolen.
About 10 young men entered the Lee Stoa at around 11am, held the staff and customers at gun point and raided the shop off valuables including the day’s takings.
The two security guards were told to lie on the floor as the criminals were armed with factory-made weapons.
The criminals, mostly young boys, then escaped on a waiting 15 seater bus.
Some of the customers say the robbery happened within a minute and was all well planned.
The criminals were armed with factory-made weapons.
The robbery happened about 100 meters away from the Lae Central Police Station; however police arrived several minutes after the suspects escaped.
Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Ivan Lakatani could not be reached for comments but the public has decried police response in arriving late at the scene.
This is the second time the shop was robbed; the first was in March last year.
The use of getaway vehicles in armed robberies has been a growing crime trend in Lae city with many reported last year.
Most of these vehicles are stolen 15 seater buses which are then used in robberies.
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