Robbery bid at Indian bank in Trinidad and Tobago

Port-of-Spain, June 11 (IANS) An Indian bank here was targeted by four robbers who tied up three Indian employees and demanded keys to the vault. Policemen who were passing by noticed the heist and nabbed them.

The four people charged with the robbery in the Bank of Baroda branch will appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate Court Monday.

The bank employees were robbed of jewellery, cellphones and cash worth $600 last Wednesday night at the bank's Port-of-Spain branch located at Independence Square.

The robbery came to light when three policemen who were patrolling noticed that the bank's door had been smashed. Inside the bank, they found the four robbers, aged 20-29, demanding keys to the vault, estimated to store millions of dollars.

Three Indian employees -- Sandeep Sinat, Mahadeo Meeda and Ranjit Kumar -- were tied with duct tape. Two security guards had also been tied up.

The robbers were promptly arrested.

Top officials, including the country's National Security Minister Brig. John Sandy and Chief of Defence Staff Kenrick Maharaj, as well as Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Malay Mishra visited the bank.

Bank of Baroda opened its first branch in the city in 2007.

(Paras Ramoutar can be contacted at paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com)