Two men posing as customers yesterday walked into the Digicel outlet on D’urban Street, and stuck up an employee before escaping with the day’s sales and several high-priced cellular phones.
Minutes after the incident van loads of heavily armed policemen could be seen circling the area looking for the men who fled on foot in opposite directions with their booty.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene the store was closed and all the staff members were standing outside, visibly shaken and discussing the incident.
This newspaper was told that this is the first time this Digicel branch has been robbed.
Reports are that around 2:15 pm, the two men entered the store and were looking at the phones in the display case.
Suddenly one of them turned around and placed a gun to the forehead of a female employee standing behind the counter. The gunman demanded cash and they also took cell phones. They then placed their booty into bags that they brought with them and ran along the pavement outside the store – one going east and the other west.
Only the female employee and the security guard were at the front of the store when the incident happened.
The traumatized employee was in tears and being comforted while this newspaper was at the store. She said that she usually worked at the back of the store but had just relieved a colleague. In much distress and with tears in her eyes she said that the gun was placed in the centre of her forehead and she was told by the gunman not to look at him.
He later told her to open the cupboard and hand over everything. The employee also said that the men had their weapons wrapped in plastic and they also carried black garbage bags. She also said that when the man brandished the gun there was nothing that the guard could have done.
The woman’s sister later arrived on the scene and in tears went down on her knees thanking the Almighty for ensuring that she was unharmed.
Another employee told this newspaper that the men got away with just over $20,000 cash.
Stabroek News was unable to get a comment from the manageress of the store who had to be rushed to the hospital sometime later after developing pressure problems.
Since their introduction into the Guyanese market in February, Digicel outlets at Rosehall, Grove and Sheriff Street have been robbed.
