POLICE have held a man in connection with the robbery at Readymix Concrete Limited at 69-72 Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara, Sunday last.

The suspect, police said, is assisting with the investigation as others are being sought for questioning.

The business was robbed after three armed bandits smashed a concrete wall to gain entry into a safe which they opened with a welding torch on Sunday around 02:30-03:00hrs.

The bandits who were said to be carrying high-powered rifles escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash after an exchange of gunfire with members of a contracted security service, who had responded to an electronic alarm.

According to reports, the bandits used a sledgehammer to smash a three feet by four feet hole in the company’s concrete fence. The men also smashed a similar hole on the lower flat of the building in order to reach the vault.

According to the police, the armed bandits pounced upon the two watchmen, both in their late 70s, and held them at gunpoint before proceeding to a section of the two-storey building and removing the cash from a safe.

Armed personnel from the security service responded to an alarm and confronted the suspects. There was an exchange of gunfire between the two sides, but the suspects managed to flee the scene.
Reports are that the men also broke into a parked vehicle in the compound, looking for valuables. In February 2015, robbers invaded Readymix and tied up a security guard before escaping with two safes. One was later found abandoned in Agricola with $1.4M.