Bandits took their time in BIR robbery

Two masked bandits captured on CCTV camera at the Chaguanas Branch of the Board of Inland Revenue took one and a half hours to carry out the act on Monday.

The footage also revealed that the bandits spent a considerable length of time breaking a wall at the southern side of the Ramcharan Street, Chaguanas, office.

An audit, carried out yesterday by the BIR, revealed that the bandits escaped with $117,000.

Investigators said yesterday they believed the bandits were assisted by a person or people employed at the BIR office.

Yesterday, head of the Central Division Senior Superintendent Kenny McIntyre said, because the bandits were masked, a proper identification could not be made but he thought they could be the ones that robbed the Montrose Branch of First Citizens Bank (FCB) of over $1 million two Sundays ago.

A team of investigators from the Central Division along with the head of the Port of Spain CID Acting Superintendent Ajith Persad has been working around the clock to solve the FCB robbery and is also, now, assisting with the BIR case.

Fingerprint experts yesterday returned to the BIR office and employees were expected to be interviewed.

Police advised other businesses in the Chaguanas area and environs to exercise all the necessary precautions in the aftermath of the two robberies.