Eight persons are now in custody, including a former employee who police say has confessed to masterminding Monday’s robbery of the Kaieteur News offices.
In addition to the arrests, which includes that of one of the security guards on duty at the time of the robbery at the Saffon Street, Charlestown location, the police have recovered millions in cash that was stolen.
Those in custody are Ryan Wharton, 33, the ex-employee, of Lot R4 -574 Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown; Joshua Junior, 35, the security guard of Lot 223 Middle Road East La Penitence; Lemuel Grant, 23, a clerk of Lot 52 Russell Street, Charlestown; Harry Songster, 36, a taxi driver, of Lot 36 Hyde Park, Timehri; Collis Haywood, 40, a chef of Lot R2-578 Canary Street, Tucville, Georgetown; Ivor Belingie, called ‘Wildlife,’ 25, of Back Circle, East Ruimveldt; Kevin France, 25, a taxi driver of Lot 208 East Ruimveldt; and Vanett Callender, 26, of Lot 5 Area H, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
According to the police, Wharton confessed to the crime during an interrogation and they later made several arrests and recovered $13,606,600 and US$685 in cash.
Wharton reportedly told the police that while he used to work at Kaieteur News in 2021, he got to know Junior and they became friends. He said that after he left the newspaper, he told Junior that there was a possibility that they could “thief money” from the news entity and Junior agreed. As a result, on Sunday Wharton stated that Junior, along with Belingie, went to his (Wharton) home with a car and they made plans to rob the newspaper.
Wharton said he asked Belingie if he had a gun and the man replied in the negative. As a result, he (Wharton) told Belingie that he would provide him with a gun to commit the robbery.
Wharton and Junior then left and he (Wharton) said he later called a friend, who was eventually identified as Songster, and told him of the plan to commit the robbery, to which the man agreed.
The ex-employee went on to tell the police that he called his cousin, Grant, and asked him to borrow his car and he replaced the number plate with a fake one with registration number HC 5152.
Later on Sunday, at about 23:00 hrs, Songster went to Wharton’s home and he (Wharton) gave him Belingie’s phone number and told him to call Belingie and pick him up at his address at East Ruim-veldt.
The police said that shortly after, Songster and Belingie returned to Wharton’s home, where he handed over an unlicensed 9mm pistol to Belingie and they proceeded in the vehicle that Wharton had borrowed from Grant and they went to rob the newspaper. Wharton confessed that he was the driver of the vehicle during the robbery.
Wharton went on to tell the police that upon arrival at Kaieteur News, Belingie, who had the gun, held Junior, who was on duty as a security guard, and two others at gunpoint as they had planned, while he and Songster went into the accounts department, where the safe was located.
Padlock
The man confessed that he and his accomplice pushed opened the accounts department door and broke the padlock that was securing the desk drawer. He said that he and Songster then lifted the safe out from under the desk and put it in the backseat of the car and they then exited the building and drove back to his (Wharton) home.
Once there, he along with Songster and Belingie went into an office located under the house, and opened the safe and removed a large sum of cash, a firearm and ammunition, among other things.
He said they then proceeded to divide the money among themselves and that Belingie collected Junior’s share. They then took off their clothes, including their hats and boots and burnt them along with the vehicle’s fake number plate.
Wharton said after that Songster and Belingie left his home with the safe to “throw it away”. He said he then placed the firearm, ammunition, a magazine holster and firearm grips which he collected from the safe and placed them into a black haversack and gave them to Heywood to keep for him.
The man added that he placed his share of the money into a plastic bag, along with his cell phone and at about 05:30hrs on Monday he took the money and his phone to the mother of his children to keep, after telling her that he had won the money from gambling at a SuperBet.
The police added that after his confession, the man took detectives to the home of Heywood, who handed over the bag which contained one .32 Taurus pistol, 209 live .32 rounds of ammunition, 71 live 9mm rounds of ammunition, five 9mm magazines, two .32 magazines, one Glock pistol case, one holster and three handgrips. The mentioned firearm is the property of Glen Lall, who is the owner and publisher of Kaieteur News.
The police said that their ranks then went to Wharton’s home, where a search was conducted and the hammer and the chisel that were used to open the safe were found in the office at the bottom of the house.
The statement said that contact was then made with the mother of his children and she was questioned and subsequently handed over $2,667,900, and US$85.
Furthermore, Songster was then contacted and he took investigating ranks to a trench at Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt Gardens, where police were able to recover the safe.
Police said that contact was also made with Grant, who told them that the car was owned by his mother and had the registration number of PPP 5379, and that Wharton had indeed borrowed the car from him on Sunday and that he returned it on Monday morning. The police said that the car has since been seized and lodged.
At about 04:10 hrs yesterday morning, Belingie was arrested and he confessed to the crime and related to the police exactly what Wharton had related. Belingie told the police that he hid his share of money in an ice-cream tin a yard behind his house and that the firearm and ammunition which Wharton had given to him was at his friend, France, who asked to keep it. The police said that $3.5 million was recovered from the ice-cream tin.
France was later contacted at his home and admitted that Belingie had handed over the 9mm Taurus to him with 10 live matching rounds, which he hid under his bed. He was then arrested.
Police say Junior, who was the last to be apprehended, was questioned and he also confessed, relating the exact story that was related by Wharton. The police said that Junior took the ranks to the house of his girlfriend where he said that his share of money was in a bag that his girlfriend mistakenly picked up between some dirty clothes to wash.
The police said that the girlfriend was questioned and she claimed that she was unaware that the money was in the bag. She then handed over $3.7M to the ranks. She, too, was eventually arrested and placed into custody.
All the money and other items which were involved in the robbery were lodged with the police.
