Gary: Arrest soon in neighbour’s attack

POLICE Commissioner Gary Griffith says he is doing what is required in order to apprehend the men who robbed his elderly neighbour on Christmas Day.

In a brief telephone interview with Newsday yesterday, Griffith said the police are working on several leads but would say no more. Griffith said the incident is one of many in the area and he suspects that there is a group of men targeting the community.

On Tuesday Odette Aboud, 80, and her friend, Claudette Ramsingh, were tied up by three men, one armed with a gun, at Aboud’s home in Haleland Park, Maraval and robbed.

According to police, around 8.15 am Aboud and her friend were alone when three men entered through an open door on the western side of the house. They overpowered Aboud, tied her up and used electrical cord to tie Ramsingh. The women were taken to a bedroom as one of the men stood guard over them. The other bandits robbed Aboud of US$2,500 and a cellphone while Ramsingh was also robbed of a cellphone. The bandits then ransacked the house and stole a quantity of other valuables. Police believe they had a getaway car and gained access to the house by climbing over a wall. When the bandits fled the scene, the two women managed to alert relatives and Griffith was informed of the incident. Griffith and officers of the Maraval station later took charge of the crime scene and CCTV footage of the robbery has been passed on to officers of the Cyber Crime Unit. The house was also checked for fingerprints and arrests are imminent.