See full statement from Guyana Police Force:
Acting on further investigations conducted between 17:30hrs and 20:45hrs yesterday (Sunday), Police contacted and interviewed the victims of the alleged Robbery Under Arms and Abduction that occurred at about 10:30hrs on Saturday at Bushmouth Marudi Backdam in South Rupununi, Region Nine.
During the robbery, Romain Simon, a 39-year-old Natural Resources Officer, was robbed of a Glock 17 pistol with one magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition, as well as a Mavado watch valued at $140,000.
Victor Adams, a 34-year-old Natural Resources Officer, was robbed of a Glock 17 pistol with one magazine and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Karl Antone, a 30-year-old Community Mines Ranger, was robbed of $100,000 cash (Guyana currency).
However, Dionei Faribas De Brito now says that the Police misinterpreted what he said when detectives interviewed him on Saturday. According to him, when the suspects approached them at the GGMC checkpoint, he was robbed of $892,000 in cash (Guyana currency). The suspects also demanded gold, but since he had no gold in his possession at the time, they told him he had to transfer one million reais to a Pix account in Brazil. (A Pix account is part of Brazil’s instant payment system, Pix, which allows users to send and receive money between bank accounts in seconds).
De Brito claimed he was fearful for his life, and he sent 30 thousand reais, which is equivalent to $1.2M (Guyana currency), to the Pix account before they were released. The money transferred to the Pix account has since been recovered and handed over to Brazilian law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile, two of the three vehicles used in the commissioning of the crime, which were at Bushmouth junction, were registered in Brazil (Brazilian number plates).
The Guyana Police Force is working along with the Federal Police in Brazil as investigations continue.
