The police in Linden are investigating an armed robbery committed on a Chinese restaurant on Monday night by three men who escaped with $50,000 and a motor vehicle.
According to a release from the police, around 11.45 pm on Monday, Chinese businessman Ruide Zhou of Republic Avenue, Mackenzie, Linden was attacked and robbed by three men armed with cutlasses and a handgun.
The police said its investigations revealed that Zhou had closed his restaurant and was outside cleaning his silver-grey Rav 4 motor vehicle number PJJ 5463 when the men approached and held him up.
They demanded that he reopen the restaurant and took a laptop computer, the cash and escaped with the vehicle. Stabroek News visited the restaurant, named Lim Gardens Restaurant, around noon yesterday but it was closed and the owners were not around.
However, according to persons in the area the owners had had just closed its doors when the three masked men entered from the back of the restaurant and began searching the dwelling of the owners who were at the time preparing to have a meal. This newspaper understands that the robbers were unhurried and took their time going through the premises. The search by the bandits reportedly lasted for over half an hour and on their departure they left a roll of duct tape in the yard.
A case of beer was also left at the door of the restaurant. The bandits reportedly also took the documents to the vehicle.
This is not the first time that the business was robbed as several years ago bandits used the same back entrance to rob the business during the day. Reports also suggested that one of the bandits went directly to the bunch of the keys which included the one for the vehicle.
This newspaper was told that the bandits “roll out slow, slow with the vehicle, but then sped down Green Heart Street”.
Two persons are said to be in custody assisting in the investigation.
