By Alva Solomon
Five persons yesterday afternoon robbed the Gizmos and Gadgets AutoZone and electronic store on Regent Road, carting off mobile phones and electronic devices and leaving staff members traumatized.
According to a police release, an investigation has been launched into the robbery which occurred around 2 pm yesterday at the Regent Road store during which two employees were held up and robbed by three men and two women; two of the men were armed with a handgun and a screw driver.
The release stated that the five assailants entered the store under the pretext of purchasing mobile phones when they held up the two representatives who were in the store at the time, taking away an undisclosed number of mobile phones, some $136,000 in cash belonging to the store as well as three mobile phones, a pair of sun glasses and $10,000 in cash, belonging to the two store representatives.
When this newspaper arrived at the store shortly after the robbery yesterday afternoon, police and security officers from the MMC Security Service were at the scene carrying out investigations.
According to Amelia Khan, a sales representative at the store, shortly after 2pm yesterday two women entered the store to conduct a transaction at a Money Gram outlet located at the store. She said one of the women approached her with a transaction form, and after examining the document she told the woman that the information on the form was inaccurate, noting that a reference number on the form was invalid.
She said that the women left the store and returned, on that occasion asking the prices of several items which were on display in the store, including mobile phones and car/audio equipment. She said the two women were soon joined by three men.
According to the traumatized woman, soon after, one of the women approached her menacingly with a screw driver in her hand, pushing her into the wall and she soon realized that the quintet were about to carry out a robbery, noting that there were no other customers in the store at the time. She said another employee, Kiron Persaud who was assisting her in the store at the time, was held up by one of the men as the robbers enquired where money was being kept. During this time the intruders placed several mobile phones and phone accessories and electronic devices into a bag.
She said the robbers then tied her up with shoe laces and placed pieces of duct tape over her mouth after which she was then forced into a washroom, where she was soon joined by her colleague who, she noted was physically assaulted by the robbers.
Persaud said that one of the men placed a screwdriver to his neck while another brandished a gun as several electrical items from a showcase were being removed by the assailants.
Some 10 to 15 minutes later, Khan said that when she and her workmate observed that the bandits had left, they got out of the washroom and raised an alarm as persons working at nearby places of business came to their assistance.
Owner of the store Ravi Mangar told Stabroek News that yesterday’s incident was the third time the store had suffered at the hands of bandits. When asked whether the store’s security system was working at the time, he answered in the negative, adding that the MMC Security Service, which provides security to the store, were alerted by the store’s staff during the robbery.
Stabroek News understands that the assailants escaped from the scene of the robbery in a gold colored Toyota car, which one eyewitness recalled, was parked close to the store in question.