A guard is dead after he was beaten and gagged by two men who then raided safes in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) building and post office at Lethem on Friday evening.
Police said an undisclosed amount of cash was carted off but three suspects—two men and a woman—were later arrested yesterday morning at a police checkpoint at Mabura with $4 million, hidden under the rear seat of their car.
The dead guard was identified as John Friday, of Culvert City, Lethem, who was found dead with pieces of cloth stuffed in his mouth after the robbery. The other guard on duty, Rudolph Bernard, 62, also of Lethem, was attacked by the robbers as well. They chopped him in his head before tying him up. He is now a patient of the Lethem Hospital.
Bernard, who remained in pain yesterday, told Stabroek News that he was left tied up until around 7 am yesterday, when a woman visited the RDC compound. He said it was police officers who untied him and took him to the hospital because he could not walk.
According to a police statement, the robbers struck at the RDC around 8 pm on Friday and attacked the two guards. After assaulting the men, tying them both up, and gagging Friday, police said, the men then broke into the RDC building and the post office, where a cutting torch was used to cut open five safes. They stole an undisclosed sum of money from the safes then escaped.
Police said all divisions were put on alert after they learnt of the robbery and
