(Trinidad Express) A security officer protecting a cigarette delivery van was ambushed by six armed criminals and shot dead during a robbery in Valencia yesterday.
Police were able to catch two of the bandits and recover the van after they searched the area for several hours.
The suspects remained in custody at the Valencia Police Post last night.
Officer also seized three guns and recovered a quantity of cigarettes and an undisclosed sum of cash.
Police said around 12.30 p.m., Thor Security Services guard Kimraj Jagessar, 56, was standing outside a mini-mart at the corner of Valencia Old Road and San Pablo Trace providing security for the driver of a Mitsubishi panel van.
Driver Mark Balfour was delivering cigarettes to the mini-mart when the six bandits jumped out from nearby bushes, and several of them started firing at Jagessar.
Jagessar was shot in the head and about the body.
He died on the spot.
Police believe the bandits had been waiting in nearby bushes for some time to ambush the security guard and the driver.
Balfour was shot in the leg.
The bandits then stole the panel van and drove into a side street off Valencia Old Road.
Officers from the Sangre Grande and Valencia CID responded.
An Emergency Medical Services ambulance took Balfour to the Sangre Grande Hospital, where he remained a patient last night.
Deputy Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob, who was at the time heading an operation to contain illegal quarrying in Matura, also visited the robbery scene.
Jacob, Special Operations Response Team (SORT), Northern Division Task Force and Eastern Division Task Force officers went searching for the six bandits.
Police used a National Security helicopter to search for about an hour, after which they recovered the van.
They searched abandoned houses and said they were shot at by the bandits.
They said they fired back and were able to catch two suspects.
Officers said they also recovered most of the cigarettes and an undisclosed sum of cash.
‘Raj never troubled anyone’
When the Express visited Jagessar’s home at Sookai Trace in Aranjuez yesterday, neighbours said they were shocked to learn of his murder.
“I cannot believe that. I saw the news of a shooting on Facebook and on WhatsApp, but I didn’t see who it was. Raj never troubled anyone. The man would go to work and come back home.
“He was always pleasant, telling everyone ‘good morning’ and thing. I cannot believe this would happen. What is going on in this country?” one man asked.
No one responded to calls at his residence.
The murder toll stood at 343 for the year so far, up to last night.
