A thug wearing an MTA vest lured a Queens subway-station clerk out of her booth so he could rob it by saying he needed to heat up his lunch, law enforcement sources said.
The clerk, 40, told cops that the man approached her booth at 111th Street in Corona, on the 7 line, at about 11:30 a.m. yesterday.
He requested to use a microwave that was in a nearby electrical closet, police sources said.
Apparently believing the man was a co-worker, the clerk left her booth and walked to the closet.
As soon as she let the man into the closet, he pulled a gun and bound her with duct tape, the sources said.
Then he went back to the booth and tried to get in but found the door locked.
So he returned to the closet, heartlessly snatched the keys off the woman, returned to the booth and swiped an undisclosed amount of cash as an accomplice kept lookout, the sources said.
The station agent, whose name was not released, was found and freed about a half-hour after the heist.
She was treated at New York Hospital Queens, for minor injuries and psychological trauma.
The station was closed for more than four hours.
MTA station agents may leave their posts only for bathroom breaks.