FCB to review security following bank heist

Officials of the First Citizens Bank are expected to review security operations in the aftermath of a $3.5 million robbery from a vault at the bank’s Montrose branch early on Sunday.

Police reports revealed that during the early hours of Sunday, bandits using a blowtorch cut a hole at the eastern side of the bank and later used the same blowtorch to cut open a vault containing the $3.5 million.

The break-in was only discovered at around 9 am on Sunday when people who went to the bank’s ATM machine to use the fast service saw the gaping hole and contacted Chaguanas police.

On Sunday ACP Irwin Hackshaw along with head of the Port-of-Spain CID Ag Snr Supt Ajith Persad, and Snr Supt Kenny Mc Intyre put together a team of officers to assist in bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

Investigators are expected to return to the bank today to interview several people, including employees and to review footage from the bank’s surveillance cameras.

Officials at the bank are also expected to do an audit to ascertain exactly how much money was in the vault, however, officials believe that the money in the vault was valued at more than $3 million. Within recent times bandits have targeted several Scotia Bank branches, however with the latest heist at FCB bankers are planning to meet to have discussions on how security operations could be beefed up to avoid a recurrence. Yesterday, fingerprint experts returned to the bank as part of the ongoing investigation and they are expected to return today in company with officers of the Cyber Crime Unit.

ACP Hackshaw said yesterday that the team of officers assigned to carry out the probe remains committed to solving this crime.

Yesterday also, members of the Chaguanas business community were advised that in the aftermath of Sunday’s robbery, to beef up security at their business places and make all necessary precautions.