A 30-year-old painter from Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, has been remanded to prison after he was charged with snatching a woman’s cellphone during a robbery.

Leon Persaud was arrested on September 19, 2025, and charged a week later with Robbery Under Arms contrary to Section 222 (c) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01.

He is accused of robbing Nadira Khemraj, called ‘Nado’, a 39-year-old of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, of a Samsung S22 Ultra smartphone valued at $180,000.

Persaud appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court #1 before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce, where he pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned to October 29, 2025, for report.