A taxi driver was arrested yesterday over Monday’s robbery during which $5M was snatched from the proprietor of Deokie Service Station (Rubis), Soesdyke and he has since admitted his involvement in the crime and led investigators to a quantity of the cash.
This brings the number of persons now in custody to two. The other suspect who has been identified as Shane Morgan was arrested shortly after the crime was committed.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that the taxi driver, Agustus Primo, 33, of Supply, East Bank Demerara was interviewed by the police during which he reportedly told detectives that he and two others; Morgan and another committed the crime after which he collected his share of the cash.
The third robber managed to flee the scene and is yet to be apprehended.
Primo reportedly told the police that he spent some of the cash that was given to him and handed over some to the third robber’s relative.
As a result, the woman was contacted and questioned by the police and she admitted to receiving the cash. She later handed over a sum of $370,000 to the police which has since been lodged.
However, she was released from custody after she maintained having no knowledge of the crime.
A source close to the investigation related to Stabroek News that the duo in custody is scheduled to appear in court today.
However, the source said Morgan is likely to face an additional charge of robbery.
Around 9am on Monday, Sophia Deokie, 32, proprietor of Deokie Service Station (Rubis), EBD, was relieved of $5M in cash as she stopped along the Land of Canaan Public Road on her way to a commercial bank.
At the time of the incident, Deokie and an employee were on their way to Demerara Bank’s, Diamond branch to deposit the cash.
Deokie chased after the bandits who eventually rode through a street in Sarah Johanna, where they abandoned the motorcycle and escaped into the nearby bushes.
However, with a prompt response from law enforcers and the assistance of several friends, one of the suspects was held and handed over to the police.
The businesswoman had related to Stabroek News that the cash constituted the sales for the entire weekend.
She explained that she and the employee were on their way to the bank in a car driven by her when they stopped along the Land of Canaan Public Road to drop off a document at Cummings Wood Products. “We made a stop at Cummings Wood Products because I had to stop to drop off a statement and my staff came out the car. Like everything just happen so fast, when I stop there he (the staff) ran over the road to drop off the statement but before I coulda close the door, the guy (bandit) did already take the money out from the back seat”, she had said.
At this point, Deokie said she noticed a motorcycle was parked in front her, with the waiting accomplice. “So as my staff came out, he (the bandit) grabbed the bag…. the door open one came out and one came in”, she added.
According to Deokie she did not realize she had been robbed until she saw the suspect with the haversack, standing outside of the car. “He move real slick”, Deokie noted, while explaining that the bandit did not attempt to harm her in any way.
“He was moving like really slow, like he realize I really was clueless”, she added.
Upon realising she had been robbed, Deokie had said she started to call for help and the bandit joined his accomplice on the motorcycle and sped away. “They jump on the motor bike right in front of me, well they took off, I call for help but nobody came fast enough, so I track them (the bandits) down while I call police and stuff”, she said.
Deokie further explained that she chased after the bandits for about five minutes after which they rode through a street in Sarah Johanna and abandoned the motorcycle before plunging into the nearby bushes. “I was kinda approaching them, they thought I woulda hit them down, so they end up branching off to a street and they drop the bike and by then police came and whatever”, she related.
She said while she was chasing the men, she called several relatives including her brother-in-law who telephoned residents in the area for assistance. “They know I was trailing them. While I was doing that I was calling for back up help……my brother-in-law call some people he know in the area and they came out and we catch them by time that, the police come and take him away”, Deokie said.
“I block off the other side of the road with my car so they didn’t had anywhere to go except the bush and by then my brother-in-law came, he called up a lot of people in the village and everybody came out and some guys with firearms and so start search the area and they found this one (suspect in custody), he was hiding in the bush”, she added.
Deokie suspected that she was trailed.
