Cops say more arrests imminent

The main suspect in the $60,000 robbery at Medford’s on the Flyover, Chaguanas, was arrested at Main Road, Chaguanas, yesterday.

The 45-year-old San Fernando man was arrested by a party of officers led by Sgt Dennis Housend and Ag Sgt Ajith Persad. Reports revealed that around midday yesterday, officers of the Central Division who were on an exercise nabbed the suspect while he was walking along Main Road, Chaguanas. He was taken to the Chaguanas Police Station where he was quizzed for several hours. The suspect will be placed on an identification parade today. The victim of the robbery, Ingrid Medford was informed that a suspect was held and  she was requested to attend an ID parade at the Chaguanas Police Station. The home of the suspect was also searched by officers of the Chaguanas CID. Medford reported to the police that on Sunday she was at the gas station when two men dressed in what appeared to be police uniforms with bullet proof vests entered the gas station and asked for Winston Medford. When told that he was not around they went to the office of Ingrid and informed her that they were investigating a report of robbery at the gas station. She requested identification from the men who placed a gun to her neck and ordered her to hand over $60,000 from a vault in the office. The men escaped in a car which was later found abandoned at Success Street, Chaguanas. Prints were secured from the car by fingerprint experts.

Newsday learned that following the robbery on Sunday, police obtained “perfect” descriptions of the two suspects. The suspect held yesterday matched the description of one of the two men involved in the robbery. Yesterday, Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee confirmed a Newsday report that the two bandits who carried out the robbery in Chaguanas were not wearing authentic police uniforms when they carried out the act. Also yesterday, a 30-year-old man wanted for a series of other robberies in Central was also arrested. During the same exercise yesterday, a  22-year-old woman and her 23-year-old husband of Preysal were among 11 persons arrested in the series of raids carried out by officers of the Central Divison. The exercise started at 3 am and ended at midday. Officers went to the house in Preysal where they executed a search warrant and seized a stun-gun (a piece of equipment resembling a gun, used to shock persons) and a car believed to be stolen. Officers of the Customs and Excise Department were alerted about the stun gun and they were in the process of laying a charge against the couple. They are also expected to be charged with possession of a prohibited weapon. The officers of the Stolen Vehicles Squad based at the Port-of-Spain CID were also alerted and they confirmed that the car seized from the couple carried a stolen number plate. The number on the stolen silver Lancer car had the number plate of a Kia car. Others arrested were held for outstanding robberies and shootings in Central Division.