Fake cops robbed gamblers violating curfew
The incident occurred sometime after 12 midnight Saturday morning when four men and one woman, all sporting high powered weapons, alighted from a white Toyota Axio motor car, a reliable source told Old Harbour News.
The armed thugs then conducted a thorough search of all individuals gathered before combing through the owner’s home which has a bar attached to it. The robbers, it is said, escaped with more than $200,000 in cash.
The location is typical tenement yard setting with a more than one house built on the same small parcel of land. The area is known as a gambling hub and even though other gamblers from afar make regular visit, the majority are those who resides within the same locale.
Residents informed Old Harbour News that the gunmen were dressed in blue denim wear and red and black bullet proof vests, resembling that of those worn by the country’s police officers. They were all heavily armed with a few rifles among their arsenal.
It remains unknown how many persons were robbed, but fortunately no was killed or injured during the hold-up during which all cell phones were confiscated but left on the ground when the robbers were departing.
Hours later, around 3:00 am, a temporary roadblock was mounted along Old Harbour Road in the vicinity of Herring Lane and the Church Pen Housing Scheme.
The protest, one resident informed Old Harbour News, was because of what is perceived to be the slow reaction of the police which they believed caused the gunmen to escape.
When contacted DSP Damion Manderson, commanding officer in charge of the police sub-division of Old Harbour confirmed knowledge of robbery. He said upon being made aware of the incident two police teams, one led by him, tried their very best to cut off all points of exit as quickly as possible, but the robbers still elude the dragnet.
“A team tried to follow them, we lost them. We went in pursuit, but we just never catch up with them,” explained the Old Harbour police chief. “We ran the licence plate but what we got is apparently a licence plate from another vehicle.”
Manderson said he found it ironic, though, that the residents were protesting as he had hours earlier initiated the arrest of two men at the said location for breaches committed under the Disaster Risk Management Act.
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, islandwide nightly curfews have been declared from 9:00 pm through to 5:00 am the next day.
“Based on information we know that something happened,” Manderson told Old Harbour News.
He said the team went to the location given its propensity to habour men who would gamble there for hours into the night. Aside from the two men charged he said others were warned.
“The police would have gone to the area, use bullhorns, use flashing lights and verbally speak to (the residents) and say to them ‘come off the road it’s now curfew’ and warned (them). How can you still be out two, three hours after to be robbed by criminals? And then block roads, saying police never respond on time? I think that’s totally unreasonable,” he argued.
“Nothing but they defy the police orders and they come out and end up facing the consequence. I’m not sympathetic about it to be honest. I’m just happy nobody loss their life, so they could learn,” he added.
Formal reports have been lodged by some of the victims with the Old Harbour Police Station, Old Harbour News can also report.
DSP Manderson is however, pleading with residents to conform to the curfew order.
“We have been constantly explaining to them to stop try and argue with the police, you know what the orders are, you know you should be off the road at nine o’clock. Stop argue with us and try find a lame excuse, just follow the orders because the fact is that if you are out there at such time and gunmen should come and start firing you have no excuse,” he said.
