The Special Constable who was under close arrest in connection with the robbery committed on the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) branch is now under open arrest.
This was confirmed by D Division (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) Commander Leslie James who stated that the Constable was placed under open arrest over the weekend.
An open arrest is when a person is considered to be in custody and their movements are restricted, but they are allowed to go about their normal daily business.
Commander James also noted that the Police were continuing their investigation into the robbery and were still hunting for the six armed men who committed the act. He noted that the Police were working with information at their disposal and were hopeful of a breakthrough in the case soon.
About 02:30h on Thursday, January 12, six armed men carted off $6 million in cash after they torched a safe in the building. They made their way into the premises by cutting the chain-link fence at the back, after which they attacked the two security guards on duty – a male and a female.
The perpetrators then disconnected the alarm system, as well as the telephone lines, before breaking into the building by kicking down the door. Based on how they operated, it is believed that they were well-briefed about the location of the safe.
Hours after the robbery, the two guards, including the one who was now under close arrest, along with a supervisor and a junior employee of the NIS were detained. Based on further investigations, the male constable was held under close arrest while the three others were released.
Although Old Age Pension is paid out on the first day of the month, persons who are self-employed were visiting the office to make payments, causing the bandits to target the office.
