By FRANCIS JOSEPH
Police are investigating two big robberies in which a man and a woman were robbed of substantial sums of money after leaving banks.
Investigators believe that in these two cases, the bandits may have gotten information from inside the banks before proceedings to rob their victims.
In one case, $203,500 was taken from a woman in Tobago, while a man was relieved of $155,000 in Laventille.
Police said the 43-year-old woman was at her Windward Road, Argyle, home around 9.15 p.m. on Sunday when two men forced their way inside.
Investigators said one of the intruders, described as slim, dark-complexioned, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and wearing a black jersey, hoodie and ski mask, entered through the kitchen armed with a firearm.
The gunman pointed the weapon at the woman, demanded money and ordered her to lie face down on the floor before binding her hands with an electrical cord. A second man then entered the house and also demanded money.
The woman directed the men to two First Citizens Bank deposit bags on a table. One bag contained $114,510, while the other held $79,000. The bandits also stole two cash floats containing $5,000 each. Investigators said the total amount stolen was $203,510. The men fled the house and escaped through a nearby cemetery. The woman had withdrawn the money days earlier.
In the second incident, a man, aged 30, withdrew $155,000 in cash from Republic Bank, St Augustine, at about 10 a.m. on Monday before leaving with two persons.
Around noon, after returning to his home on Stanislaus Street, Laventille, the man noticed a black Nissan Almera parked nearby. A short time later, two men approached him. One of the suspects allegedly shouted, “Pass the bag,” before striking the victim on the head and stealing the bag containing the $155,000 in cash. The bandits also took a purple Samsung cellular phone valued at approximately $5,000. The two men fled in the Nissan Almera.
Officers of the San Juan Criminal Investigations Department later detained two men matching the descriptions of the suspects in the San Juan Police District. No money was recovered.
