Investigations are continuing following the robberies at Banco Popular in Santo Domingo East and Vimenca, in Santiago.
The carrying out of a raid without the presence of a Public Prosecutor which left one Police Officer dead and four injured, along with the lack of following of protocol during the arrest of a security guard linked to the Vimenca robbery, who later supposedly committed suicide inside a police vehicle in the car park of the Prosecution service in Santiago, has led to a wave of criticism of the police.
Regional director for Cibao Central, General José Acosta Castellanos, has admitted the officers looking after security guard Antonio Polonia Bueno violated protocol handcuffing him in the front rather than the rear and the fact that he was related to the officer in charge of his arrest could also be a factor that led to the lack of protocol. He added that following his arrest, Polonia Bueno admitted that he had received RD$300,000 as payment for his help in planning the robbery.
In connection with the case, also arrested are Carlos Alfredo García Liriano (Aspirina), Basilio Encarnación Polanco, Emmanuel de Jesús Grullón and Andy de Jesús Gutiérrez Grullón. At the time of their arrest they had four pistols, a shot gun, more than US$51,000 and RD$200,000. Taken during the robbery on 23 June was RD$1,347,998 and US$203,254.
Regarding the Banco Popular robbery, police spokesman, Colonel Frank Félix Durán Mejía said that when the police officers went to the home in La Mina where the robbers were thought to be, they did not have a warrant for the raid but they were waiting for one. He said that this was often the case.
Durán Mejía said that the general director of the Police, Major General .Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, had set up a commission to investigate the issue which will be headed up by Generals Rafael Cabrera Sarita, inspector general of the Police and Héctor García Cuevas, director of Internal Affairs.
During the raid, one of the assailants, only known as Francis, was killed and five police officers were injured. Lieutenant Rafael Tapia Rosario and Sergeant Biojary Antonio Pérez Colón are still in critical condition in Intensive Care and the former already had health problems so it will likely be more difficult for him to recover from his injuries. .
Others arrested in the case are Anyelina de los Santos, aged 29 and Alfredo Lorenzo Ramón, aged 28, who had in their possession a pistol, a shotgun taken from a security guard and an unspecified amount of money.
There are still three of the robbers at large including two Haitians.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
El Dia
4 July 2018
