Johnathan Alli, 30, is contemplating his future in Guyana after he was robbed at gunpoint on Monday afternoon, shortly after conducting a transaction at Republic Bank on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
This is the fifth time that Alli – an importer – has been robbed in two years.
News Room had initially reported that Alli conducted transactions at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) and Demerara Bank, both on the EBD, however, the young businessman contacted News Room and revealed that his last major transaction was done at Republic Bank.
He was robbed of just over $2M in cash and a number of items at his Charlestown, Georgetown office at around 14:20hrs by three men who pounced him and one of his employees.
A police report had noted that the bandits arrived in a silver grey motor car, HC 4682, which stopped on the Western side of the said street.
Alli complained that the transaction at Republic Bank took longer than usual and he even complained to a Supervisor that he did not want to be there “too long.” He claimed that he arrived at the bank just after 12 noon and left until 13:40hrs.
The businessman suspects that someone from within the bank tipped off the bandits.
“It happened within the bank because you don’t randomly attack somebody and know where the money is. They demanded my handbag where the money was kept, so it had to be somebody inside; whether an employee or someone posing as a customer,” the businessman told News Room.
Alli explained that he handed over $400,000 to the gunman and told him that is all he has, however, he noted that the gunman said: “no, the bag got the rest of the money.”
“The bandit know that the bag had the money because when I was trying to pass off a little to them, they didn’t accept that; they searched the vehicle and held us at gunpoint,” Alli explained to News Room.
The businessman said he has no confidence in the Guyana Police Force given past experiences, where he was robbed and the police did not try hard enough to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“I had my own people went and did a search for these criminals and pinpoint them; had them on camera before, clear as day and nothing came out of it,” Alli said.
