Nine Brazilians in custody following robbery of Lethem store

The items that were found in a house at Tabatinga, Lethem where four of the suspects were arrested.
The items that were found in a house at Tabatinga, Lethem where four of the suspects were arrested.

Nine Brazilians including two females are currently in custody as the police continue to probe Tuesday afternoon’s armed robbery on a phone store in Lethem during which a quantity of phones and jewellery was stolen.

Divisional Commander Ravindradat Budhram when contacted for an update yesterday afternoon told Stabroek News that investigators are in the process of obtaining statements from the suspects.

“Three of them (suspects) were arrested after the robbery and identified and on Tuesday night, acting on information received, the police went to a house at Tabatinga and arrested four others where a firearm and some rounds were recovered and additional information led us to a vehicle that was used to commit the crime and in which the other two persons (suspects) were inside”, Budhram explained.

The police in a press release yesterday said when ranks swooped on the house in Tabatinga, Lethem they were forced to seek cover since several rounds were fired at them.

“The area was cordoned and the lawmen using their tactical training subsequently gained entry into the building and arrested four persons inclusive of two females who are Brazilian nationals”, the police said.

A .38 revolver, a 9mm magazine and forty-two live rounds of ammunition were found in the house.

Stabroek News had reported that around 3pm on Tuesday, bandits stormed the Region Nine store where they held the female proprietor at gunpoint before fleeing with a quantity of cell phones, watches and gold jewellery.

It was further alleged that they then demanded the keys to her husband’s car, which they attempted to use in their getaway.

However, during their bid to escape, they crashed the car into the shop and tried to escape on foot.

The police responded promptly, took up positions at strategic locations and were able to apprehend three of the suspects.

The others were held later in the evening.