A suspect in Wednesday’s $9.5 million armed robbery at Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo was arrested in the city yesterday and is being grilled as two others held shortly after the incident remain in police custody.

A senior police officer confirmed the arrest yesterday afternoon but could not give further details.  Police are yet to release a statement on the incident to the media.

According to the account given to this newspaper, Bartica businessman Nasim Kassim had stopped at the Good Hope home of the taxi driver transporting him when a white car pulled up and four men exited.

One went to the driver’s side door and pulled up the latch for the trunk while the others who had already positioned themselves at the back opened it and removed a bag and several boxes containing the money.

The taxi driver who was standing at his door raised an alarm and as the men drove off they discharged several rounds. Seconds before, one of the bandits had ripped off his vehicle’s number plate before jumping in.

The driver gave chase and when the bandits realized that they were being followed they discharged a volley of rounds which began at Zeelugt and ended at Tuschen.

The bandits’ getaway car was subsequently found locked and abandoned at Stewartville Squatting area.
The taxi driver was arrested along with a man who turned up at the station claiming ownership of the car the bandits used in the robbery. He had reportedly told the police that he was relieved of it at gun point earlier in the day.

Following the robbery, the police response was quick and several road blocks were established at which vehicles were stopped and searched.

However none of the bandits was caught.