The Ministry of Public Works was yesterday robbed of over $7M when employees returning from the bank were pounced on by two men who were staking out its Kingston office.
Permanent Secretary Balraj Balram told Stabroek News that he was made to understand that the two robbers arrived at the Ministry’s finance office compound at Fort Street, Kingston and informed security guards that they were employees from the interior and were awaiting their salaries.
He added that the pair waited at a shop opposite the finance office compound for the arrival of the three employees, Juliet Duke, Melanie Austin and Kamal Sooknandan, along with a security guard attached to the Strategic Action Security, around noon, when they returned from cashing cheques at a city bank.
When the employees arrived, they stepped out of the vehicle only to be pounced on by the two men.
He added that they two assailants took the firearm from the security guard who escorted the employees and hit an employee to the back of her neck.
A total of $7,847,076 was being transported from the bank to the Ministry’s offices to be used for the payment of 113 employees. The cash was being transported inside of two bags and when the duo grabbed the bags, one of the bags ripped, causing over $100,000 to fall. The pair, according to Balram, made good their escape on a motorcycle that was parked further up the road.
Balram said that immediately after the attack, the Commissioner of Police was contacted by Minister Robeson Benn and subsequently a rank attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and another attached to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) arrived. However, Balram said that the robbers had already escaped. Investigations are presently being conducted by police.
Persons residing in the neighbourhood said that they saw the two men waiting around.
As the two men waited, they even helped an employee attached to the Ministry to replace a flat tire on her car, this newspaper was told.
When asked whether any kind of surveillance camera was present, Balram said that while there was none on the ministry’s building.
He was, however, told that there was a surveillance camera at the shop where the two men waited.
He further stated that Minister Benn spoke to Finance Minister Ashni Singh to work out terms of payment for the employees affected. “We would need to talk with the Ministry of Finance to put measures in place to pay workers affected,” Balram explained.
Paul Delacruz, one of the employees who stand to be affected, said that he is deeply saddened by what transpired.
He said that he had planned on taking his wife and mother shopping after he had collected his salary. He hopes to receive his salary at least by next Monday.
