BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – POLICE have made a breakthrough in the Ma Pau Casino robbery and one man is currently on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison.
According to a police release, Eric Thompson of Pond’s Pasture was yesterday charged on four warrants in the first instance for armed robbery, which took place on Monday (Jan. 4).
Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on the day in question, three armed bandits had stormed into the building that houses Ma Pau Casino and carted off a large amount of money from the gaming establishment.
When this publication visited the casino, it was directed to a tight-lipped supervisor who refused to comment on the incident only to say that police are investigating.
SKNVibes had however learnt that shortly before 7:30 while one of the members of staff had opened the front door to the casino, three masked men dressed in camouflage held her at gunpoint and forced their way into the building.
They reportedly tied her up and held four other employees at gunpoint before relieving some of them of their mobile phones and cash.
The bandits also carted off a large sum of US currency from the casino before making good their escape through the back door of the business entity.
Information reaching this publication yesterday morning stated that two or more individuals were taken into custody sometime on Tuesday (Jan. 5), one of whom is Thompson and another who is allegedly employed at the casino.
They were assisting police with their investigations into the robbery, but today’s press release only provided information on Thompson. No word has been forthcoming on the other or others.
At that time, efforts to confirm the number of individuals in custody and also information on the alleged employee proved futile as both the police and management of the casino were tight-lipped due to the ongoing investigation.
This publication however learnt that since the robbery, one female member of staff was reportedly sent on leave.
Also reaching this publication was the fact that a certain member of staff who was present during the robbery was also an employee of the casino when it was robbed in 2010.
This is the second time in its seven-year existence that thieves had targeted the Mau Pau Casino.
In 2010, a thief or thieves had broken into the casino between the time it was closed on Sunday, October 31 and before employees turned up for work on the following morning.
SKNVibes had learnt that a vault was forced open and an undisclosed sum of money was removed.
The police release stated that Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Crime, Ian Queeley commended the investigators for a job well done and expressed the Force’s gratitude to those members of the public who provided assistance in its sovability.
“I first want to applaud the good work of all the officers working the case; their diligence and thoroughness moved this case forward. I also want to thank the public for the assistance they provided. This is a great example of citizens coming forward and sharing what they know….doing that made a difference.”
He called on other members of the public to emulate their counterparts and reiterate the call for them to partner with the police in the fight against crime.
“Calling the police or Crime Stoppers with information regarding a crime or criminal activity makes a difference; it did in this case. I encourage the public to partner with us and report what you may see or hear with regards to criminal activity. Let us ensure an environment of citizen safety together.”
