Three armed bandits posing as customers yesterday carried out a daring robbery at a Gordon Street, Kitty gold establishment and escaped with over $50M worth in cash and raw gold.
Stabroek News was informed that the bandits entered Wallison Enterprise at Lot 23 Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown at around 10.05am.
They escaped with $38M in cash, 60 ounces of raw gold valued $20M and 2 cellular phone valued $360,000.
Police said the men entered the compound under the pretext that they were going to sell gold. The bandits wore masks and hats in a bid to hide their identities.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum yesterday confirmed that a security guard of the business was arrested and is assisting the police with investigations.
The men arrived at the scene in a white motor car, which they parked north of the building. They entered the compound through the main entrance.
Once inside the building, they held two employees; a 20-year-old female cashier and a 45-year-old goldsmith at gunpoint and ordered them to the safe which contained the valuables.
According to a police report, the victims were at work, when the suspects, entered the business premises posing as customers.
“The suspects entered the waiting area where they spoke to the cashier and showed her a small package which they claimed contained gold to sell,” the police said.
Immediately after, the police added that the bandits whipped out firearms and held the cashier at gunpoint.
They ordered her into an office where the cash and gold were secured, the police said. “At the time the other victim and another man were in the said office and they were held at gun point,” the report noted.
The police further stated that the suspects then ordered the victims to open two metal safes after which they handcuffed them with plastic straps. “They then took away the victims’ phones, monies and gold mentioned after which they locked the victims into one of the office and made good their escape,” the police said.
The cashier raised an alarm, after which the security guard immediately went to her rescue and kicked opened the office door.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV footage. Stabroek News was told that investigators were in the process of reviewing the footage, in the hope of identifying the suspects.
In the footage, which was seen by this newspaper, a man, who appeared to be one of the victims was seen sitting on a table pointing to a computer screen as he interacted with one of the bandits.
At the time, the bandit had a cellular phone in his hand and appeared to have been messaging.
Shortly after, a second accomplice entered the room from a door situated behind them. He stood for a while as he watched around the room.
The second suspect then reopened the door, peeped out but before he closed the door, the third suspect walked through and entered the room.
One of the suspects then walked to what may be another door of the room while his accomplices took off their backpacks.
One of the bandits held onto the hands of the worker, while an accomplice pulled out some plastic straps, which they used to tie the worker’s hands behind his back.
The bandits then appeared to have left that room.
In other footage, two individuals including the female cashier were seen standing with their hands tied as the bandits, who each had a backpack in their hands, carted off the valuables.
