Queens travel agencies robbed, employees zip-tied in likely related incidents

OZONE PARK, N.Y. (WABC) -- Police are looking for suspects in two robberies, both involving travel agencies in Queens, that they believe are linked.

The most recent incident happened Wednesday, around 11 a.m., at the Crown Travel Agency located on 118th Street in Ozone Park.

Two men, one armed with a gun, entered the business and zip-tied the victims before demanding that the two employees open the safe.

"I couldn't think," victim Zenifer Mohammed said. "I was just scared. I guess, numb."

Mohammed says it was a terrifying few minutes that felt like forever when she and co-worker Michelle Sukhnanan were tied up, hands behind them, and told not to face the suspects. The NYPD released photos of the men that they hope will lead to arrests.

"He just kept telling me, face the wall," Sukhnanan said. "And turn around and don't look at him."

The workers say the two men had come to the travel agency the day before to say they were looking into a trip to Trinidad, and police say the same exact type of robbery occurred at a Liberty Travel in Howard Beach the Friday before.

Surveillance photos of the suspects in that case show what appears to be at least one suspect who is wearing the same clothing as in Ozone Park robbery. In the Howard Beach incident, six employees were tied up.

Mohammed and Sukhnanan kept telling the suspects they didn't know the combination to the safe, but that didn't stop them from ripping out the surveillance and stealing whatever they could.

"They took off my necklace, cash in my wallet," Sukhnanan said. "So they took everything."

In the first robbery, the suspects were able to gain access to the safe, making off with an undetermined amount of money, as well as the employees' phones and cash.

There were no reported injuries in either incident.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS, submit tips on the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or text tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.