Mastermind, four others arrested for stealing 11 weapons from security firm

Jan 07, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – In a major breakthrough, detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters were able to arrest the mastermind and four accomplices in relation to the theft of 11 weapons belonging to Radar Security and Supplies Company.

Kaieteur News had reported that the weapons were stolen from the company between 10:00h on December 25, and 18:30h on December 26, 2022.

The weapons that were stolen are two single-barrel shotguns valued at $950,000; four 9mm Taurus Pistols valued at $1,400,000; five Taurus .32 pistols valued at $1,425,000; 25 12 gauge cartridges, 538 .32 ammunition, and 18 9mm rounds of ammunition.

In an update on Friday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum disclosed that five persons are currently in police custody including the mastermind who happens to be a Security Official at the company.

Blanhum stated too that one of the suspects took a team of investigators to a location in South Ruimveldt where two of the stolen weapons were recovered.

This publication had reported that the firearms were stolen from company’s office which is located at Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had initially reported that Radar Security and Supplies’ office is located in the middle flat of a three-storey wooden building.

According to the police, there is an office to the western side, which has a wooden door to the eastern side, secured with a manufactured Yale lock. In the said office, there is a steel ‘strongbox’ where the security firm secures the firearms and ammunition. The strongbox is secured with two padlocks and inside the strongbox; the firearms are chained and padlocked with three padlocks.

It was reported that on Christmas Day, the firm’s Chief Security Officer, a 72-year-old from Guyhoc Park, checked the firearms and all were intact. Around 18:30 hours on Boxing Day, a 65-year-old Weapons Training Officer from Enterprise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), visited the location.

The police reported that the Weapons Training Officer observed that the door to the office was not secured, but rather it was left ajar. He then entered the office, where he observed that the padlocks on the strongbox were cut off, the chain that secured the firearms was also cut, and the firearms mentioned were missing.

However, two other shotguns were left in the strongbox.

The Weapons Training Officer then informed the owner of the security service a 49-year-old businessman of Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD). When detectives arrived on the scene, they observed that the padlocks and chain were indeed cut. The two shotguns were removed from the strongbox and lodged. The office was checked, but there were no signs of breakage.

The 57-year-old security guard was questioned, and he claimed that at 17:00 hours on Boxing Day, he took over duty from a 36-year-old security guard from Paradise Housing Scheme, who handed over the key for the said office that housed the strongbox.

The 57-year-old guard said that he did not check the office door, nor did he go into the office. He was arrested, and a search was carried out at his home, but nothing was found.

The Weapons Training Officer was also arrested and questioned, and his home was searched, but nothing was found.

At that time, when checks were made by the police for the 36-year-old security guard at his stated address, no one was seen at the house, which seemed to have been abandoned.