Fast work by the ‘B’ Division police led to the arrest of a couple who are suspects in the robbery of a vegetable vendor which occurred yesterday morning at Adventure, Corentyne.
The robbers included two men who were armed with guns and a woman. In a statement, police said that at about 7:30 am yesterday, vendor Hemraj Singh, 54, of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, and his wife were held up at the Black Bush Polder (BBP) Access Road, Adventure, Corentyne, by two men armed with shotguns.
“The perpetrators had exited a motor car with two other men and a woman that had blocked the path of the motor canter that the victims were in,” the police said. The robbers took away $180,000 and a cell phone and escaped in their vehicle. “Quick response by the police on receipt of the report led to the motor car, suspected to be used in the robbery, being recovered at Scottsburg, Coren-tyne, and the arrest of a man and a woman,” the statement said.
Stabroek News was told that immediately after the robbery, police were alerted and set up road blocks. A source related that while ranks were managing a road block at No. 51 Village, they saw the suspects’ vehicle approaching. However, the vehicle diverted to an alternative route.
After observing this, the police launched a search and were able to apprehend the car. When the car was stopped, only two persons were inside: the driver and a woman.
The source said that Singh and his wife were making their way to BBP to purchase vegetables and were relieved of 180,000, a cellular phone and the vehicle keys. The police source said that investigations revealed that while the victims were entering the access road of BBP, a car stopped in front of them.
At that point, two men armed with guns came out of the car and instructed the Singhs to hand over the cash. They also collected the cellular phone and vehicle keys and escaped. Stabroek News was told that a female and another person were also in the car.
Stabroek News was told that when interrogated, the woman told investigators that the men in the car exited after they had diverted off the main road. The woman told investigators that she and her boyfriend (the driver) were carjacked by the other two men while they were exiting BBP. She reportedly said that the men forced her boyfriend to drive and commanded him to stop in front of the Singh’s truck.
Police investigations are continuing.
