A female staffer attached to the Region Six council has been arrested as the probe into the $50m robbery committed at the RDC on Wednesday morning continues.
Bandits during the wee hours of Wednesday stormed the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) compound and carted off $50m in cash which was to be paid to part-time workers.
Hours after the robbery police cornered what is suspected to be the getaway car at Heathburn Village, East Bank Berbice, during which one of the bandits identified as 19-year-old Kevin Vanlewin, a farmer, from Sandhill, Berbice, was shot and killed. Three of the suspects escaped on foot in the direction of the Canje River, while the driver of the car, Tarrique Pollard also known as ‘Tari’, a 33-year-old taxi driver from Mahaicony, was arrested at the location. A firearm was also recovered in the car.
After the shoot-out police were able to arrest one of the suspected bandits who had escaped on foot. Stabroek News was told that Lawrence Vanlewin who was arrested near the Heathburn location, sustained what is suspected to be gunshot injuries. Lawrence is the uncle of the deceased suspect, Kevin.
The Guyana Police Force yesterday confirmed that Lawrence Vanlewin was hospitalized at the Georgetown Public Hospital “for alleged gunshot injuries.” This newspaper was told that after being arrested the suspect was taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital after which he was transferred to the city hospital for surgery.
The 3,30 a.m. robbery had all the hallmarks of an inside job in a compound where four unarmed guards were on duty.
Four bandits, one armed with a handgun invaded the compound located at Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam from the back.
The Guyana Police Force in a statement had said that security guard, Suresh Sooknanan, 60, told investigators that at the time of the incident he was on duty at the RDC in the guard hut located at the back of the compound while the three other security guards were on duty at other locations.
Sooknanan relayed that four men entered the compound from the eastern fence and dealt him a lash to his forehead with an object. The men then tied his hands behind his back, duct-taped his mouth, and left him in the hut as they proceeded to the location where the money was being kept.
Stabroek News was told that the men broke into a heavily grilled room next to the Accounts Departments where a large sum of money was being kept. Following the incident, police discovered two windows to the Accounts Department on the southern side opened.
“Entry was seen to a door to the southern side of the building, where access was gained into the building and inside a room where an undisclosed amount of cash was kept. The room had an access door with reinforced grill works, which was broken off, and the undisclosed amount of cash was reported missing”, the police report noted.
Region Six Chairman, David Armogan had told Stabroek News that the money stolen was present at the location to be paid out to about 1000 part-time workers who will now be affected. The workers were expected to be paid on Wednesday and Thursday.
In April the Ordnance/Fort Lands Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) was broken into and $1.2m which was supposed to be paid to part-time workers, and $141,000 in stipends and taxes were stolen.
Two men, one armed with a handgun had invaded the NDC located along the Cumberland Public Road in East Canje Berbice and held the guard at gunpoint.
Stabroek News had reported that while one bandit stood with the guard downstairs, the other broke into the NDC building which was secured with a hasp and staple, and stole the money after which they both escaped on the bicycle they arrived on.
The money had arrived at that location the previous afternoon to be paid out to the part-time workers, as is the same case with the sum stolen from the RDC.
