Man dressed in Police uniform, accomplice remanded for robbing housewife

(Photo caption: Ryan Chung and Antonio Maraj)

Two men, one of whom was dressed in  Police uniform when they allegedly robbed a housewife, were on Tuesday charged and remanded to prison. Those charged are 25-year-old Antonio Maraj, a labourer, of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and 35-year-old Ryan Chung of Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Both men appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on May 25, 2021, at Land of Canaan, EBD, while in the company of each other and armed with a gun, they robbed 53-year-old Desiree DeFreitas of one Samsung Galaxy S9 cell phone valued at $160,000.

 They were remanded to prison until June 11, 2021.

Facts presented by the court prosecutor stated that on the day in question, the 53-year-old housewife was sitting in a chair on the northern side of her yard, speaking with her aunt on her cell phone. While doing so, she was approached by a man dressed in a blue and black Police uniform who opened her gate and entered the yard.

The court heard at the time, the man who was armed with a handgun approached De Freitas and demanded that she hand over her valuables. The man then attempted to force the woman into the house but she resisted and they began to scuffle.

During this time, the man hit her to the head with the handgun and took away her phone. He then quickly exited the yard and made good his escape in a waiting motor car PTT 2987.

The matter was then reported and following an investigation, three males were arrested but only Maraj and Chung were charged.