As police continue their investigations into the Ramada Princess Casino robbery, a man was arrested at his sister’s house at Vreed-en-Hoop with a bag of money.
The man, who has been identified as Junior Stewart of Thomas Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was arrested on Sunday evening after police
The money that was found in the suspect’s possessionThe Ramada Princess Casino
swooped down on the house at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara.
At the time of the arrest the man had in his possession a bag containing at least $900,000 containing $1000 and $5000 notes. The money was reportedly wet.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that after the police went to the homes of two of the suspects, ranks found wet clothing which indicated that after the robbery, the men went home and changed.
However, Guyana Times understands that the possibility exists that after the robbery, they men might have used a trench separating Peters Hall and Providence to escape.
Nevertheless, the crime chief added that the man arrested on Sunday evening at Vreed-en-Hoop was only recently released on bail for a gun related charge.
The head of the Criminal Investigations Department also stated that several persons including the three prime suspects are being grilled.
One of the prime suspects Andrew Blackman, a security guard at Princess Casino is said to be the mastermind of the robbery.
Pandemonium broke out at the gambling facility on April 30, after four gunmen stormed the casino at about 03:45h and discharged several rounds as they relieved patrons and staff of cash and other valuables.
During the shooting, Eon Garraway was shot to his left hand; James Gregory to the left foot; Orlando Knights to the left hand; and Udairan Sookraj to his right hand. They were all admitted to a city hospital.
In addition, Melissa Ferguson, Jermaine Mason and Roshel Fraser were also assaulted.
Based on reports, after the men entered the facility, they held a security guard at gunpoint and took away his shotgun and several rounds of ammunition.
The men then ordered everyone to lie on the ground and escorted the security guard to the cashier’s cage where they relieved the cashier of an undisclosed sum of foreign and local currency. By this time, the police were alerted about the robbery and responded promptly.
As they arrived at the scene, they were confronted by the armed men which resulted in an exchange of gunfire. During the exchange, Police Lance Corporal Andrew Richardson was shot to his abdomen. He was admitted to a city hospital and underwent emergency surgery.
Meanwhile, during the shootout, one of the bandits was captured and taken into Police custody. The firearm taken away from the security guard was recovered. The other three men managed to escape.
It was reported that the car used in the robbery was hijacked at Brush Dam, Buxton, on East Coast Demerara. The car has since been impounded as police continue their investigations.
