-laments security situation
The Operations Manager of a Canadian mining company was yesterday robbed of money by a gun-toting bandit who escaped after the incident which occurred at a store on Saffon Street.
Stephan Larocque, the operations manager of Excel Gold Guyana told Stabroek News that the incident occurred at just about 1 pm when he was in the Saffon Street store purchasing some foodstuff to send to the interior. He said that while speaking to an employee he felt his bag, which contained $200,000 and which was under his left arm, being pulled away and quickly turned around only to be confronted by the bandit who pulled out a handgun and pointed it to his face. Larocque said that he immediately froze and the bandit, who was not wearing a mask, grabbed the bag and ran away. The Canadian national said that he attempted to follow the robber but the man had an accomplice waiting on a motorcycle and they rode away.
Lacroque, noting that he had only that morning withdrawn the money from the bank, said that the bandits had apparently trailed him. He stated that after the incident the matter was reported to the police station at Ruimveldt.
The upset man said that this was the second time in three weeks that he was the victim of a robbery. He recalled that previously thieves broke into his vehicle while he was shopping at the Bourda Market and carried away a quantity of items. “Things like that make you think about investing in this country”, the Canadian national declared also pointing to the limitations of the police.
He noted that he was lucky to recover his bag with important documents after someone found it in the vicinity of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and handed it over to them. He said that his phone number was in the bag and he was called at about 3 pm and informed of the discovery. Lacroque said upon checking the bag, the documents were intact but the money gone.
“Security I think, is getting worse not getting better”, he declared noting that for an investor it is a scary situation. “You don’t want to go in town and walk”, he said, adding that incidents like these “makes you realize that you can invest in some other country and don’t have that problem”.
He stated that other nationals had to grapple with the same problem and several of his friends were also the victims of robberies.
