AFTER spending the last month on remand for allegedly breaking into the popular Guyanese jewellery store, L. Seepersaud Maraj and Sons located inside the Stabroek Market and carting off $22M worth in jewellery, three men known to the Police were on Thursday released on $1.5M bail each.

The men, Albert DeFreitas, 54 of Leopold Street, Georgetown, Trion Parks 31 of Eccles, East Bank Demerara and Clifford Rodney, 66 of One Mile, Linden were remanded by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when the matter was first called.

It is alleged that the men between July 2, 2018 and July 3, 2018 at Stabroek Market, broke and entered the jewellery store of L. Seepersaud Maraj and stole a quantity of gold and diamond jewellery worth $22M. The men were not required to plead to the charge and the matter was transferred to Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
Magistrate Azore, when the matter was recalled on Thursday however released the men on $1.5M bail each with report conditions. The matter is adjourned until September 20 for the commencement of trial.

Rodney is represented by attorney Pamela DaSantos while Parks is represented by Adrian Thompson.

According to reports, on Tuesday July 3, upon arriving at work an employee of the establishment discovered that the establishment had been vandalised.

Reports indicate that the staff observed the front grill of the store had been opened and upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the vault door was open. The staff immediately contacted the proprietor who visited and noted that a large quantity of gold and diamond jewellery was missing.

A police source said the robbers gained entry to the store from the eastern grill by cutting the locks and disabling the alarm systems before blow-torching the vault door open.
It was noted that the bandits had taken several hours to complete their operation, since there were three major security doors before the vault.