BOURDA POST OFFICE ROBBERY: Gun, ammo found in trench; man slapped with six charges

Last Updated on Wednesday, 8 April 2015, 20:36 by GxMedia

Hours after police recovered a gun stolen from a policeman during a multi-million dollar robbery outside the Bourda Post Office last week, a man was arraigned on Wednesday in connection with the heist.

Stravo Evans of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara and Curtis Street, Albouystown, Georgetown was slapped with six charges and remanded to prison until April 13.

Appearing before City Magistrate, Fabayo Azore, Evans was not required to plea to the following indictable charges:

1. being armed with a gun he robbed Andre July of one G3 rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition together valued GUY$688,000, along with GUY$42. 522 million cash, property of Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC)

2. Being in company of others, he robbed Darwin Hinds of one Pitbull mini bus, PSS 5641, valued over GUY$3.5 M, property of GPOC.

3. Wrongfully restrained Andre July

4. Wrongfully restraining Darwin Hinds

5. Being in company of others, he abducted Darwin Hinds.

6. Being in company of others, he abducted Andre July.

Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Assistant Commissioner  Leslie James said the GUY$42  million have not been recovered and investigators were still trying to ascertain the whereabouts of the cash that should have been used to pay Old Age Pensions and Public Assistance.

James explained that, acting on intelligence, a search was conducted in a trench in East La Penitence where the G3 rifle and 20 matching rounds were found.

During the incident on April 1 at about 8:15 AM, three men armed with guns held up a police escort and the driver of a Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) motor vehicle, who were in the vehicle outside the Bourda Post Office, while in the process of delivering monies to the post office.

After taking away the policeman’s service weapon and ammunition, they entered the vehicle and forced the driver to drive away with the policeman inside.  After taking away the cash and the gun and bullets, police said they abandoned the vehicle along Cemetery Road, Georgetown.

The court was told by Police Prosecutor  Simone Payne that Evans and five others ambushed Hinds and July and tied them up. One of the suspects allegedly drove the bus to Cemetery Road where a white Fielden motorcar was awaiting them and the escaped with the cash.