Family blasts Georgetown City Constab for “lack of care and diligence”
Bandits have carted off millions in gold, diamond and silver jewellery after they broke into the popular L Seepersaud Maraj and Sons Jewellery Store located at Stabroek Market. It is believed the robbery was executed between Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Several persons have since been arrested for the crime.
Guyana Times International understands that upon arrival at the jewellery store on Tuesday morning, the owner and staff realised the stall was broken into. Upon checking, the entire store was ransacked and the vault was torched open.
In a press release late Tuesday night, the family said the robbery was the work of “highly-skilled thieves”.
“We have consulted with several security specialists and others trained in ironwork and welding, and we have been informed that it would have taken no less than five (5) hours for the vaults to be cut open. We have spoken directly to two City Constables who claimed that checks were done earlier in the market, but nothing was discovered. As stall owners operating under market rules, we have no choice but to depend on the City Constabulary for security whenever the market is closed. At the time of writing this, we have not been contacted by anyone from the Mayor and City Council’s Office or the Town Clerk’s Office. We are surprised at the lack of care and diligence by the City Constabulary in not observing that such an elaborate crime was being perpetuated over so many hours. Additionally, the stall was secured with an alarm system that was being monitored by the MMC Security Force. We contacted the MMC Security Force late this afternoon and we were informed that the alarm was indeed set off three times last night. However, MMC never informed us or the Police that the alarms went off. On every other occasion, whenever the alarm is set off, MMC would call us immediately and the fact that we never received any calls or reports from them is puzzling.”
While assuring customers that no one was hurt or harmed, the family said “our losses cannot be estimated at this time as we have not done a full check of inventory” and asked customers who may have information regarding the robbery to contact them or the Police.
Meanwhile, Crime Chief Paul Williams headed a team to the scene, who were able to collect fingerprints from one of the heavy-duty safes in which the jewellery was secured. Upon closer inspection, the investigators discovered that the padlock to the stall was cut and the locks to the safe were torched.
The robbery has yet again raised concerns about security at the market. Police thought it was quite strange that no one heard any abnormal noises or saw any abnormal movement since a robbery of that magnitude could take a few hours. It was later disclosed that the City Constabulary officers have access to the Market at all times through the southern gate.
No one has been apprehended in connection with the robbery.
Only recently, the City Constabulary named Stabroek and Bourda markets as popular criminal hotspots where consumers are attacked and robbed on a daily basis. These offences are suspected to be gang-related.
Chief Constable Andrew Foo has stated that the markets have been on the radar for quite a while now in light of the increase in criminal activities in those areas.
Foo explained that at the Stabroek Market, since it is a transportation hub, persons entering and leaving public transportation are the main targets. With respect to Bourda Market, most of the incidents occur among vendors and shoppers in the rush hours, when sales are at a peak.
