Armed men on Sunday night stormed a West Coast Demerara (WCD) church and robbed a pastor and three members of the congregation of cash and valuables before escaping.
Up to press time last night police had two of the suspected robbers in custody; the second man was arrested at the Leonora Police Station during the afternoon hours while attempting to take a meal for the other.
According to a police statement, at about 20:00 hours Pastor Dillip Bikhari of the Universal Church at Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD, was in the process of closing the church when he, along with Andrea Santos of Brazil and two other church members, were held up by three men armed with handguns.
The men took away about $400,000, three cell phones, US$1,000 and a lap top computer and escaped.
“The police responded to the report received and were able to arrest one of the suspects in the Meten-Meer-Zorg area,” the release said adding that at the time of his arrest the man had in his possession an unlicensed .357 magnum revolver, one of the stolen cell phones and the stolen lap top computer.
Meanwhile, a police source informed that a man had gone to take food for the suspect in detention at the Leonora Police Station when one of the victims who was there speaking with the police, recognised him. According to the source the victim pointed out the man as one of the persons who had committed the attack.
The man, the source said, was arrested and is assisting the police with investigations along with his alleged accomplice.
When approached by this newspaper Bikhari declined to speak saying he didn’t want the incident reported in the media.
