<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Armed robbers flee with $275k
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Money changer and her staff attacked by four men wielding parangs </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kimberly Spykerman & Diana Othman
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->FOUR men wielding parangs attacked a money changer and two of her employees outside their store in Woodlands yesterday morning, slashing them in the face, arms and stomach and making off with $275,000.
The two workers - a man and a woman - were seriously wounded in the daylight robbery, which happened in front of several witnesses at the bustling Woodlands Centre Road.
Their boss, a woman in her 60s, was also hurt in the attack.
Police said the male worker, also in his 60s, underwent emergency surgery to close gashes on his head and stomach. His condition was not immediately known.
The female employee has also been hospitalised, but did not require surgery, while her boss was treated and then discharged.
Police are searching for the suspects, who witnesses said fled towards Marsiling with a bag full of cash.
It is understood that the robbers are foreigners. Police said they were in their 30s and ranged in height from 1.6m to 1.7m. Two of them were wearing sunglasses and flower-print caps.
According to one witness, who asked not to be named because he feared for his safety, the men struck around 9am.
They ambushed the two employees after they stepped out of the back door of the store and into the Woodlands Centre carpark.
One man attacked the male employee with a parang, while another went for the woman, who was carrying the bag of money, the witness said. When she resisted, he slashed her repeatedly.
'There was blood everywhere, and they just kept slashing at one of the women,' said the witness.
When the shop owner saw what was going on, she grabbed a pail of water and threw it at the robbers, shouting at them to go away, the witness said.
But he said that as soon as she turned away from them, she was slashed in the back of her head by another robber.
The robbers then fled, leaving their victims lying in pools of blood in the carpark, the witness said. Large stains remained on the ground hours later.
Shop owners in the area said the money changer had been robbed four times in the last five months.
Most recently, thieves snatched a bag of cash from the employees as they were leaving by the shop's back door. They made off with the loot in a getaway car.
Woodlands Centre Road, where the attack took place, is home to more than 30 money changers.
Most shop owners said they were shocked by how brazenly the robbery was carried out. They said that while robberies have taken place in the area before, no one had been seriously injured.
The Straits Times visited several money changers in the area yesterday, and all have taken precautions against in-store robberies: They are equipped with at least one closed-circuit television camera, and burglar alarms.
But while they are protected within the shops - which are also fitted with bars to separate counter from customers - they are vulnerable once they step outside.
'It's very worrying as we are out in the open like this, but the only thing we can do is to be as careful as possible,' said Mr Mark Lee, who is in his 30s and has worked as a money changer for the past four years.
Many money changers said that they took precautions when making trips, such as going out in pairs.
Some money changers, however, appeared complacent despite the violent attack, saying that such robberies are still quite rare.
'Big cash robberies cannot be done so easily in Singapore. It is not the norm here,' said Mr Batcha Mahar, 56, who operates a money-changing service in Ang Mo Kio.
President of the Money Changers Association in Singapore Seyadou Zahanguire, 50, believes that all money changers should be careful.
'We must be careful by installing the basic security measures like CCTV cameras and alarm systems.
'We should also be vigilant and look out for suspicious people who might try to rob you or sell you counterfeit money,' he said.
Anyone with information about the robbery can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.
[email protected] [email protected]
What to do? Let's move on! *hee*hee*
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Money changer and her staff attacked by four men wielding parangs </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Kimberly Spykerman & Diana Othman
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->FOUR men wielding parangs attacked a money changer and two of her employees outside their store in Woodlands yesterday morning, slashing them in the face, arms and stomach and making off with $275,000.
The two workers - a man and a woman - were seriously wounded in the daylight robbery, which happened in front of several witnesses at the bustling Woodlands Centre Road.
Their boss, a woman in her 60s, was also hurt in the attack.
Police said the male worker, also in his 60s, underwent emergency surgery to close gashes on his head and stomach. His condition was not immediately known.
The female employee has also been hospitalised, but did not require surgery, while her boss was treated and then discharged.
Police are searching for the suspects, who witnesses said fled towards Marsiling with a bag full of cash.
It is understood that the robbers are foreigners. Police said they were in their 30s and ranged in height from 1.6m to 1.7m. Two of them were wearing sunglasses and flower-print caps.
According to one witness, who asked not to be named because he feared for his safety, the men struck around 9am.
They ambushed the two employees after they stepped out of the back door of the store and into the Woodlands Centre carpark.
One man attacked the male employee with a parang, while another went for the woman, who was carrying the bag of money, the witness said. When she resisted, he slashed her repeatedly.
'There was blood everywhere, and they just kept slashing at one of the women,' said the witness.
When the shop owner saw what was going on, she grabbed a pail of water and threw it at the robbers, shouting at them to go away, the witness said.
But he said that as soon as she turned away from them, she was slashed in the back of her head by another robber.
The robbers then fled, leaving their victims lying in pools of blood in the carpark, the witness said. Large stains remained on the ground hours later.
Shop owners in the area said the money changer had been robbed four times in the last five months.
Most recently, thieves snatched a bag of cash from the employees as they were leaving by the shop's back door. They made off with the loot in a getaway car.
Woodlands Centre Road, where the attack took place, is home to more than 30 money changers.
Most shop owners said they were shocked by how brazenly the robbery was carried out. They said that while robberies have taken place in the area before, no one had been seriously injured.
The Straits Times visited several money changers in the area yesterday, and all have taken precautions against in-store robberies: They are equipped with at least one closed-circuit television camera, and burglar alarms.
But while they are protected within the shops - which are also fitted with bars to separate counter from customers - they are vulnerable once they step outside.
'It's very worrying as we are out in the open like this, but the only thing we can do is to be as careful as possible,' said Mr Mark Lee, who is in his 30s and has worked as a money changer for the past four years.
Many money changers said that they took precautions when making trips, such as going out in pairs.
Some money changers, however, appeared complacent despite the violent attack, saying that such robberies are still quite rare.
'Big cash robberies cannot be done so easily in Singapore. It is not the norm here,' said Mr Batcha Mahar, 56, who operates a money-changing service in Ang Mo Kio.
President of the Money Changers Association in Singapore Seyadou Zahanguire, 50, believes that all money changers should be careful.
'We must be careful by installing the basic security measures like CCTV cameras and alarm systems.
'We should also be vigilant and look out for suspicious people who might try to rob you or sell you counterfeit money,' he said.
Anyone with information about the robbery can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.
[email protected] [email protected]
What to do? Let's move on! *hee*hee*
