BUKIT MERTAJAM: Three armed robbers held a woman hostage before escaping with jewellery worth RM3mil in a daring heist which lasted less than seven minutes at a busy hypermarket in Seberang Jaya near here.

The robbers entered the jewellery shop located on the first-floor of the hypermarket on the pretext of buying gold chains for their wives at 2.10pm.

While the salesgirls were displaying the jewellery, the three suddenly whipped out their guns and shouted “This is a robbery” in Hokkien.

They then ordered the salesgirls to take out the jewellery trays from the showcase and place them in their bags.

Traumatising: A video grab showing a robber taking hostage of a salesgirl during the robbery at a hypermarket in Seberang Jaya.

State deputy CID chief Asst Comm Mohd Nasir Salleh, who was at the scene later, said the robbers then held a salesgirl hostage.

“They dragged her to the ground floor before escaping on two motorcycles where their accomplices were waiting.

“The salesgirl is still traumatised,” he added.

Police believe the robbers were foreigners as they spoke Hokkien with an accent.

ACP Mohd Nasir urged members of the public to come forward to help in investigations as many shoppers would have seen the robbers clearly as they used the escalators while fleeing.

He said the robbers were aged between 20 and 30.

He added that police have obtained the CCTV footage of the robbery.

Handphone shop salesgirl Roy MS, 35, witnessed the incident.

“It was like watching a crime drama on TV except this was real life.I was actually 10m away from the scene.

“All of us in the shop quickly hid once we knew a robbery was taking place,” she said.

Sources said this was the third time the goldsmith shop has been robbed, claiming the robbers would normally strike on Fridays.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/14/nation/11665054&sec=nation