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ATM thief is a cop
– repays stolen $63,000 to teacher
With his photograph emblazoned on the front page of Guyana’s most popular daily, a police Constable who illegally emptied a teacher’s bank account has taken the easy way out and turned himself into the Brickdam Station.
The policeman, who is a member of the Tactical Services Unit, surrendered yesterday morning and has repaid the money he withdrew from the Republic Bank account after the teacher, Deandre Anderson, had forgotten his VISA Card in one of the bank’s Automatic Teller Machines.
The policeman at the ATM
However he will have to do more than that, since his actions have not only angered the teacher but also caused great embarrassment to the Guyana Police Force. Had it not been for the bank’s camera footage, the Constable might have gotten off scot free.
“He is not a wise policeman; he ought to know that the bank would have surveillance cameras,” one of his colleagues told Kaieteur News yesterday.
On July 20 last, Anderson, a teacher of St. Ambrose Primary School, went to Republic Bank Limited’s New Market Street Branch to make a withdrawal. He hurriedly transacted his business, leaving behind his VISA Card in the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
“I only collected my receipt from the ATM. In my hurriedness, I forgot to respond to the machine’s option of moving ahead with another transaction and the guy after me took the option,” the teacher explained.
The following day when Anderson became aware that his card was missing, he immediately contacted the bank, inquiring from the security personnel whether anyone had found a VISA card. The security answered in the negative and an investigation was immediately launched.
It did not take investigators long to discover that another customer of the bank, the policeman, had withdrawn Anderson’s money. The suspect did not transact any business with his own VISA Card, which made it difficult for the bank to place a name to the suspect.
The bank’s camera footage, however, clearly revealed what took place after Anderson walked away from the machine and exited the bank.
The recording shows the suspect and Anderson crossing paths at the bank’s door.
According to the footage, the suspect approached the ATM that Anderson had used a few seconds earlier and upon seeing the VISA card in the machine, he briefly smiled and began looking nervously over his shoulder at the door. He did this continuously throughout the episode, and after he ascertained that the coast was clear he started operating the machine, withdrawing $63,000 from Anderson’s account.
Yesterday, Anderson confirmed that the policeman had confessed before him and investigators that he did withdraw the money.
“I asked him why and he said that he did not know what got into his head,” Anderson said.
He also confirmed that the policeman offered to return the money.
“He put me in a spot, because I had to go borrowing money from people. He has to compensate me for all the expenses he put me through,” the teacher declared.
The policeman’s colleagues are upset at the embarrassment that he caused.
“As a policeman, before he take action to protect people, he stealing from them. If the camera didn’t capture him, he wouldn’t have come in,” a police rank told this publication.
Kaieteur News was informed that late yesterday afternoon the cop made full restitution to the teacher, including compensating him for all the additional expenses that were incurred.
“He willingly agreed to repay me, but of course the force will have to do what they have to do,” the teacher said.
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