A man carrying a firearm robbed and fled from a gold shop at Sikhai Market in Sikhottabong District, Vientiane Capital on Wednesday.
Lao News Security reports that the man wore a black helmet to hide his face and robbed a gold shop at gunpoint in Sikhai Market at 13:20 pm on Wednesday.
Mr. Lar Thephanya, an officer who manages the shops at Sikhai Market, told the Laotian Times on a phone call that the man spent five minutes robbing the gold shop.
He stated that although military personnel usually guard the store, they were on a break when the incident happened.
A video from the security camera in the shop reveals how the thief entered the shop quite unassumingly and then jumped over the counter holding his gun and robbed the store as the owner shouted for assistance.
The man fled the scene with one handful of gold, but the amount and value of the total damage are yet to be disclosed.
All the employees, including the store owner, were unharmed, but the man managed to escape with the valuable items on a motorcycle and is currently on the run.
The police are now investigating the incident and collecting evidence and eyewitness accounts from the store owner and other people at the market.
In January this year, another man robbed a jewelry store at the Vientiane Centre shopping mall and fled with a number of highly valuable diamonds.
