Guyana records first major heist for 2014

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

Guyana recorded its first major heist Sunday night when four bandits struck a Chinese restaurant and carted off GUY$4 million, police said.

The robbery occurred at a Chinese restaurant at the junction of the East Bank Demerara Public Road and the Soesdyke-Linden Highway about 11 PM.

Deputy Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud said the robbers carted off GUY$3 million and US$5,000.  He said that was the largest amount of money grabbed during an armed robbery for this year.

Persaud said investigators were told that three of the bandits entered the restaurant where her husband was seated and the other one gained entry to the back of the yard where a 29-year old female, Ihai Jaing, and her son were attacked.

He said one of the bandits ran behind Jaing and she went inside the building where she pointed to a canister with the cash. It is unclear whether a vehicle was nearby but from all accounts they were seen on foot.

Figures released by the Guyana Police Force show that there was a seven percent increase with 1,132 reports last year compared to 1,058 in 2012.  The statistics also show that during 2013 there was a  14 percent increase in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms; and a four percent decrease in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.