Several persons were taken into custody following a daring mid-day robbery at a cambio and clothing store at Rose Hall Town, Corentyne yesterday where three men armed with handguns escaped with around $8.3M in local and foreign currency.
Stabroek News learnt that the men posing as customers beat the owner of the store, Abdool Ramzan of Williamsburg and held him at gunpoint while removing the cash.
Reports are that they escaped with $368,000 and a quantity of foreign currency amounting to about $8M.
The cash was said to be in a drawer and in a shoebox in the cashier booth. Police sources said that the men entered the store, T-Town, and approached Ramzan’s daughter, Nafeeza Shafeek, and an employee.
They pretended to be interested in prices and as the two were responding, the bandits whipped out the guns and ordered Shafeek and the employee to lie on the floor and then bound them with scotch tape.
One of the bandits kept guard over the two while the other two robbers approached Ramzan, who was resting in a hammock, at the western side of the store and dealt him a few lashes with the gun.
They dragged him into the store and removed the cash before escaping on foot. The police arrived on the scene shortly after and after conducting searches in the area, the men were arrested.
And in a separate incident, a former policeman was among four persons arrested on Tuesday in connection with a robbery. They were nabbed while in a car at New Amsterdam shortly after reportedly robbing two men at gunpoint at Number Two Village, East Canje.
Two bandits robbed Errol Pellew, 44, a cane harvester of Reliance, Canje of a gold ring valued $15,000 and $4,000 cash and also relieved Cliston Bartram, 67, an overseas based Guyanese of $7,000. Reports are that the men were drinking below Bertram’s house at Number Two, Canje when the bandits confronted them and took away the articles and escaped.
Police responded promptly and acting on information gave chase and intercepted the car, a blue and white AT 170 Carina HA 9902 with the men about one hour later at Strand, NA. The car was reportedly owned by the policeman, who was said to be interdicted from duty. The driver of the car was also taken into custody.
According to sources, two of the men were picked out during an identification parade, while the third man admitted “orally” to the crime. He also gave police an account of how the robbery was planned. The men in both robberies are likely to face charges after investigations are completed.
