BRIEFS: Crime

Robbers flee bank with $17,000

A Banistmo branch in Volcán was robbed yesterday by two men who fled with $17,000. According to police, the robbery took place shortly after 9 a.m. when a person entered the bank with his head covered with nylon, wielding a pistol.

The robber demanded money from the teller. After receiving it, he fled to a waiting car where a driver was waiting. Police said the bank does not have armed security, which made it a target for the robbers.

Clients interviewed by police said they saw the man outside shortly before the robbery, and thought he was waiting for someone. The getaway car was identified as a Toyota Yaris license plate number 735349.

There have been several high-profile bank robberies in Panama this year, including a case involving a Banistmo branch in Panama City. In that heist, burglars broke into the bank's vault on New Year's Eve by digging through the floor from an upstairs office.