EBD man remanded over robbery at GTT’s Grove store

When he appeared before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts earlier this week, 27-year-old Aleebia London, an unemployed man of Second Street, Kaneville, EBD, was facing a charge accusing him of robbing a GTT store in Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD). He was remanded to prison.
London faces a charge of robbery under arms, committed contrary to Section 26 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.
It is alleged that on August 4, while armed with a gun, he robbed the GTT outlet at Lot 116 North East Grove, EBD of 1,287 phone cards each worth $500, making the robbery of these phone cards worth $643,500; and he also took $1,065,200 in cash.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge, but was refused bail, and has been remanded to prison. The matter has been postponed to October 4.
A statement from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said the robbery was committed at about 21:45h on August 4 by two men, both of whom were armed with handguns.
Last September, two women were among six persons charged for a daring robbery committed at the GTT outlet at Giftland Mall, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown on September 8, 2022.
It was reported that two gunmen, posing as security guards from the Amalgamated Security Services Limited, entered the Giftland Mall and robbed the GTT Store on the second floor.
Those charged in this matter are: Andrea Dover of D Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Piercy Roberts of Tucville, Georgetown; Ashley Mansfield of Victoria Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Jamal Haley of “D” Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Ryan Goodluck of Herstelling Housing Scheme, EBD; and Osman Brummell of Cross Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown.
The robbers escaped with $13,420,487 in cash and $6,015,524 in cheques from the outlet, according to the Police. Based on information received, two men were dressed in the uniform used by a private security service that usually uplifts money from the outlet when it closes.
An employee of the store had told the Police that, on the day in question, she and five other staff members were on duty when the two suspects, wearing face masks and fully dressed in the said security uniforms, approached her and checked the bags with the cash as per normal.
One of the suspects then went outside to the other staff members and brandished a handgun at them. They were reportedly instructed to lie on the floor, and without hesitation they complied.
The other suspect, who was in the supervisor’s room, took out a handgun from the waist of his pants and also instructed her to lie on the floor.
The suspects duct-taped the mouths of the staffers and locked them in the booth, before taking the cash, exiting through a back door, and making their way into the parking lot, where they entered a white Toyota Raum motor car and made good their escape.
A short while after, the staff members managed to free themselves, and an alarm was raised, but by that time the suspects had already escaped.
After discovering the getaway vehicle used in the crime, the Police quickly solved the case. (G1)