AK-47 rifle, 9mm gun seized; 6 arrested in Berbice 

Police in Regional Division Six have arrested six persons and recovered a high-powered rifle, a handgun, and matching ammunition during intelligence-led operations across the Corentyne as investigations continue into recent armed robberies in Rose Hall Town.

According to a Police press release, ranks on Tuesday conducted an operation at Ulverston Village, Corentyne, Berbice, acting on information received in relation to the recent robberies.
During the exercise, a 21-year-old construction worker of Alness Village, Corentyne, was contacted and arrested. Police also carried out checks at a location in Ulverston Village, where a cutlass sack was found in a tamarind tree on an empty plot of land. Inside the sack they found a 9mm pistol with four matching rounds, an AK-47 rifle with seventeen matching 7.62 rounds, and a pair of gloves.
The suspect was escorted to the Rose Hall Town Police Station along with the suspected firearms and ammunition, which were lodged pending investigation.
Regional Commander Assistant Commissioner Shivpersaud Bacchus confirmed that six persons in total have been arrested as part of the ongoing probe. He said the weapons were recovered during a series of operations carried out in several Corentyne communities.
Bacchus explained that the final two suspects were taken into custody at a residence on the Lower Corentyne. Information indicates that one of the six persons arrested is a woman.
Investigators are seeking to determine possible links between the suspects and two recent armed robberies in Rose Hall Town. Police are also working to establish whether the individuals may be connected to other criminal activities along the Corentyne.
One of the robbery victims previously told this publication that three men who entered his home appeared to be teenagers. He estimated that the youngest suspect was about 15 years old and the eldest around 19. Another businessman who was robbed in a separate incident also stated that the perpetrators appeared to be young.
On February 23, three armed men entered Shanie Liquor and Grocery Store in Rose Hall Town, confronting owner Shanie Ramsingh and discharging a firearm before escaping with cash and other valuables. Days later, G Sudhai and Sons Grocery Store was targeted. Businessman Gurudat Sudhai and his wife were reportedly robbed of millions of dollars in cash and valuables by men armed with hand-held firearms.
Police said investigations are ongoing.