Robberies, theft, burglary round out weekend crime
A Belize City cashier was arrested and charged with Theft after her bosses discovered more than twenty thousand dollars missing from the cash pan. According to a report made by the accountant of the Belize Port Authority, between April second and September twentieth, twenty-three thousand nine hundred dollars was paid into the regulatory body for renewal of boat licenses, registration and other fees. But an internal audit has since revealed that that money never made it into the Port’s account. The person responsible for depositing the cash during that time was cashier Rashida Jones. Jones, who had been with the agency since 2003, was placed on suspension during the internal investigation and was eventually fired. Police caught up with her on Sunday.
In other police news, for the second time in less than a week, a Belize Western Energy Limited delivery truck has been the victim of armed robbery. According to driver Jose Deras, around midday on Friday he and his sideman were leaving Gales Point Village when a man dressed in black sporting a pink mask and a wig emerged out of the bushes with a shotgun. Deras says the man ordered him to stop at which point another man appeared brandishing a machete. After the driver handed over the day’s sales of approximately two hundred and fifty-one dollars, the men left the area. No arrests have yet been made.
Meanwhile on Saturday night, Mukesh Punjabi, proprietor of Shop R.V.’s in Orange Walk reported to police that he was robbed of three thousand dollars worth of cash and goods. According to Punjabi, around eight forty-five that night three men walked into his Guadalupe Street store but instead of buying something, one of the men put a gun to his head. Punjabi says the gunman forced him to hand over two cell phones worth thirteen hundred dollars, eight hundred dollars in B.T.L. phone cards and nine hundred dollars cash. The men then escaped in a grey van. Police have since detained two people for questioning and have impounded a van matching the description of the one used in the robbery.
Burglaries happen every day in Belize City but tonight one victim is asking for your help to recover his missing property. According to A.C. Castillo, sometime between ten and eleven on Sunday morning, a thief or thieves broke the louvers of a back window and got into his North Creek home. The burglars then stole fifteen hundred dollars in cash, a portable DVD player, a Dell laptop, and three computer CPUs. Castillo and his family moved into the area in December and he suspects the perpetrator lives in the neighborhood. If you have any information that could lead to the stolen goods or the arrest of those responsible, please call the police or Crime Stoppers at 0-800-922-8477.
