T&T schoolboy dressed as woman held for jewel-store heist

(Trinidad Guardian) A 15-year-old schoolboy who posed as a woman during a midday jewelry-store heist in Arima on Wednesday has been detained by police. According to police reports, shortly after midday, two men and the boy, who was in disguise, entered the jewelry store on Devenish Street in Arima.

The robbers drew guns and threatened the owner of the store, who in turn handed over more than TT$150,000 in gold and silver jewelry. The trio tried to run away but were confronted by a security guard who was on duty  outside.

The guard drew his gun and fired several shots at them.

Detectives from the Arima Police Station arrived soon after and arrested the teenager, who was wearing a dress and high-heeled shoes. The two other suspects managed to escape in a waiting car. The schoolboy, of Picton Road, Laventille, was taken to the Arima Police Station where he remained under interrogation up to late yesterday.

Investigators believe that the trio was behind a series of similar heists in the past few weeks. The arrests of the two other suspects are imminent, as their images were captured by CCTV cameras at the store, police said. The teen will be put on identification parades later today and over the weekend, after which he will  be charged with several criminal offences, including armed robbery, investigators said.