A local Western Union branch suffered millions of dollars in losses following an armed robbery yesterday afternoon.
According to reports, the East Bank Demerara branch, located in the Harbour Bridge Mall, was robbed by 3 men who had been pretending to be customers. One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said she was downstairs when she noticed the men go upstairs around 12:30 hrs. She conveyed that she was not aware that anything was afoot until after the men exited and cries of “Thief!” rang out behind them.
One man was wearing an orange jersey while another had on a red plaid shirt, she said. She was unable to describe the third robber. The men made good their escape using the back entrance of the mall.
The three men went inside the business place and then pulled out their weapons and ordered the 20-25 persons there to lie face down on the floor. The customers were stripped of their valuables including cash, phones, and jewellery, reports said.
When this publication visited the crime scene, plainclothes officers were conducting investigations. Though these officers remained tightlipped on the incident, Stabroek News was able to ascertain that at least one person had been taken into police custody for questioning. The person, one woman who was working at the branch during the robbery, apparently came under suspicion after it was discovered that she had a large amount of cash in her possession. Though heavy objections were raised by the woman, she was nevertheless taken in by the police.
Footage of the robbery as it occurred was obtained and was being reviewed. The business, working under an agency agreement, will restart operations as soon as possible.
