Gunmen captured after trailing, robbing Tower Hotel’s accountant
- Security guard shot, $2.5M recovered
The two bandits who were captured
Quick action by the police led to the arrest of two armed bandits, yesterday, minutes after they snatched $2.5M from a Tower Hotel accountant after trailing him from a city bank.
A security guard, 63-year-old Balmick Persaud, was shot when he tried to wrestle with one of the men, the pillion rider, who had jumped off a CG motorcycle and confronted the accountant in the hotel’s Main Street, Georgetown compound.
The guard was rushed to a private hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition. The bullet grazed his abdomen. According to information, police who were in the area as part of the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Christmas policing, heard the gunshots and immediately gave chase after seeing the two men on the CG motorcycle acting in a suspicious manner.
The chase led to East Ruimveldt Front Road, where the two men were arrested after running into a house to seek shelter. The police in a press release said that the men had crashed into a trench during their escape bid. In their haste to avoid capture the men left the bag containing the cash in the trench. They also tossed the weapon.
The stolen cash was recovered and up to press time, the cops were searching a nearby trench for the firearm that the bandits had in their possession. According to information received, as the police ranks were pursuing the men, they were shooting at the cops.
At the scene yesterday, one woman said that she was sitting in front of her door when she heard about seven gunshots, followed by a man pointing a gun in her yard.
“I see the man by my gate with a gun peeping in and then he went by the neighbour and arrested the two boys,” the woman said.
She explained that the police also arrested the couple who resided at the property. That property was believed to be a haven for thieves since the gunmen found property from other crime scenes. There were lamps from vehicles also believed to have been stolen.
One of these arrested had been arrested in the past after having been shot during a robbery. On that occasion he was shot in the neck. That near death experience did nothing to have the young man rethink his ways, one woman said.
Investigations are ongoing.