Thief trapped inside house, surrenders to police with hands in the air

Oct 22, 2020 News

By Shervin Belgrave

The thief surrendering to police with his hands in the air. (Photo Credit: Peter Salick)

The thief being taken into custody. (Photo Credit: Peter Salick)

Kaieteur News – A thief was yesterday forced to surrender to police with his hands in the air after he was trapped by residents inside the bottom flat of a two-storey house located at Bushy Park, Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).
According to information received by this newspaper, the residents trapped the man at around 07:30hrs.
Kaieteur News was told that the thief reportedly entered the building just after its occupant, a taxi driver, locked his door and left.
However, one of the residents said, it seems as though the thief was totally unaware that the tenant occupying the top floor was still at home.
That tenant reportedly heard noises “coming from downstairs” and ventured out to investigate. Observing that there was a metal bar lying beside a broken lock, the tenant decided to alert a neighbour who joined him in investigating the “strange noises”.
The resident said that the men saw curtains moving and peeped in only to see the thief in action. Without raising any alarm, the men contacted police and called other neigbours to surround the house.
Realizing that he was surrounded, the resident said, the thief resorted to barricading himself inside the house by shutting it tight.
Nevertheless, the residents did not leave but waited until the ranks arrived. Kaieteur News understands that police officers called for him to open up but he ignored. One of the ranks was instructed by his superiors to break down the door. While doing so the man, according to the resident, opened the door, “put on his COVID-19 face mask” and surrendered to the cops with his hands in the air.
The taxi driver, this publication was informed, was notified of the break-in at his apartment and returned. According to reports, he checked home and told investigators that some cash was missing. Police officers proceeded to search the thief in his presence but found nothing. He was then taken away by police and placed in the lock-ups pending charges.
One of the neigbours who helped trapped the thief recalled that around 03:00hrs he heard noises too at his home. He said that his rottweiler dogs were barking frantically as well.
Later that morning, he said that he checked his yard and noticed that a metal bar was missing from his yard. He later saw that metal bar lying next to the broken lock at the house where the thief was caught.
It is believed by residents that the thief might have attempted to burglarize that neighbour’s home as well but aborted because of the man’s dogs.
They further speculated that he probably proceeded to “stash himself in some nearby bush” and waited for the taxi driver to leave before making his move there.