Gunman grabs $1.8M from manager, accountant of Pomeroon Oil Mills
A city businessman and a senior staff member were on Friday afternoon robbed of over $1.8 million by an armed bandit, minutes after returning to their company’s Kingston headquarters after withdrawing money from the bank.
Police in a press release issued yesterday, said they are investigating an armed robbery which took place around 1:55 pm on Friday at Mudlot, Kingston, Georgetown. The police said that during the robbery the manager of the office of the Pomeroon Oil Mills Ltd Tillack Gheer and his accountant Anwar Shaffie, were attacked and robbed by a man armed with a handgun.
According to the police, the two victims had just returned from a city bank with money to pay wages and had stopped their vehicle at the gate leading into the compound. “At this stage the armed man exited a white motorcar which was parked in the vicinity and held them at gunpoint. He then took away a bag with some $1.8M and escaped in the waiting motorcar,” police said.
Recounting the incident, Shaffie told this newspaper that he and Gheer had just returned from Demerara Bank and that he (Shaffie) was about to exit the vehicle when a man approached him with a gun and demanded that he hand over the bag or else he would shoot. He said the bandit then pushed him in the corner and took away the bag. The gunman then proceeded to rob Gheer of his personal cash before escaping in the white Toyota Carina 212. According to the accountant, the entire episode lasted for a mere three minutes. The police were then contacted and they responded promptly. Shaffie said that they have since viewed the surveillance cameras and observed that the white car had been waiting even before they arrived.
The accountant, who has been with the company for over two years, said that this was the first time the establishment had been the victim of a robbery. He said that as a result the workers could not be paid yesterday.
Pomeroon Oil Mills is the manufacturer of Brook vegetable oil. It is also involved in the fishing and coconut industries.
