West Coast Demerara (WCD) villagers played a crucial role in the apprehension of a suspect involved in an armed robbery on Friday last and the suspect, who has since confessed to the crime, provided police with the names and details of his three accomplices.
According to a police press release, the robbery took place around 12:40 pm on Friday at the home of a 52-year-old businesswoman in Middle Street, Ruimzeight, WCD. The release said police were told that three of the four suspects were armed with handguns when the quartet entered the home. The businesswoman was in the kitchen, and her two workers, aged 48 and 23, were in the adjoining goldsmith workshop, it added.
The businesswoman told police that the men suddenly appeared at her back door, pointed their firearms at her and demanded silence. They then forced her into the workshop, where they proceeded to rob her and her workers of valuable items, including gold jewelry and cell phones, the release said. The businesswoman told the police that she was relieved of two pairs of gold bangles, one pair of gold earrings, one gold ring and one gold band, but the men demanded more gold and money. In the process, the release said, one of them fired a shot in the direction of the businesswoman, prompting nearby residents to respond. In an attempt to escape, the suspects fled the scene in a white Allion motor car, registration number HC 921, the release said.
However, it added, alert residents blocked the road, forcing the vehicle to stop and the men exited the car and escaped on foot into the Ruimzeight backlands. When the police arrived, the release said, they discovered Garfield Benjamin, a 50-year-old fireman and taxi driver from Stewartville, tied up in the back seat of the abandoned car. He reported that he had been carjacked earlier that day by the men, who had forced him to drive them to the location of the robbery. An injury was seen at the top of his head and when questioned, he told the police that several residents in the area had hit him in the head.
According to the release, Benjamin told investigators that on Friday, at about 11:30 hrs., he was at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction when the four men approached him and asked him to take them to Crane. Along the way, two of them pulled out firearms from their waist and ordered him to pull over, it added. They then tied his hands and feet with plastic straps and put him in the back seat of the car. One of them drove the car to the scene, where three of the men exited the vehicle and entered the yard, the release said.
Following the incident, police in Regional Division #3 launched a manhunt for the four suspects and, with the assistance of residents, were successful in apprehending one of them. The release said that man was taken into custody, and when interviewed, corroborated Benjamin’s story.
The release said the police are actively pursuing leads based on the information provided by the suspect in custody as they work to locate his accomplices.
