-getaway motorcycle recovered
FOLLOWING intense investigations by the police, seven persons were arrested in connection with Monday’s $18.5 million armed robbery committed on a Corentyne businesswoman while the getaway motorcycle has been recovered.
This is according to Region Six Commander, Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, who provided members of the media with an update on Tuesday.
He said ranks were able to recover the motorcycle and an identification card on Monday evening in a trench in Toopoo Village. The motorcycle is suspected to have been used by the perpetrators to flee the scene after the robbery.
The media was told that a 17-year-old is among those in custody.
Further, the commander explained that detectives are pursuing different leads and are hopeful for a breakthrough soon.
He explained that in addition to the cash, the gunman also escaped with several cheques. This publication understands that the cheques are together valued in excess of $30 million and were in the bag with the cash.
At around 10:25 hrs on Monday, a gunman pounced on Nalini Mangali, 43, of Permaul’s Trading and Distribution and her employee as they arrived at the bank.
As the businesswoman exited the vehicle, the bandit placed the female employee, who was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle, on the ground and grabbed a black bag containing the cash and cheques; he then escaped on foot in the northern direction. He subsequently joined an accomplice who was waiting on the motorcycle.
Meanwhile, this publication was told that this is the third occasion that the business has lost millions of dollars due to robbery.
In 2014, Mangali’s husband, Subramani, was about to make a deposit at the bank when he was pounced on and robbed of $10 million in cash; while in 2016 he was robbed of $2million.
Commander Persaud emphasised that it is unsafe for persons to transport large sums of cash by themselves.
As such, he is urging members of the region’s business community to be more alert and to have security accompany them in such situations.
On that note, he expressed the police’s availability to assist in such circumstances.
“You should have a security maybe from private company. You could even go to the police …We are here to serve and protect, we are here to provide assistance free of charge . We will do that because we want our citizens safe … just for the safety, for the people of Berbice.”
He further advised business owners to invest in high definition cameras as they would assist investigators in their evidence-gathering efforts.