Gunmen steal $700,000 from yam farmers

Detectives in south Trelawny are now asking residents to be on of the lookout for men impersonating yam farmers, who stole more than $700,000 from an elderly farmer and his son in Green Valley district last Saturday.

Reports are that about 1:30 p.m., the 66-year-old farmer and his 37-year-old son were at home when they received a phone call from someone who identified himself as a farmer.

He informed them that he had more than 1,000 pounds of yellow yam for sale. The farmer and his son made arrangements to pick up 800 pounds of the yam in Green Valley.

They drove to a section of the area known as Green Town, where they were directed by cellphone to a premises.

Escape on foot

They were ambushed by three masked men armed with handguns, who took their cash, along with a Samsung Galaxy cell phone, a knife and their machetes.

The robbers then made their escape on foot. Commanding officer for Trelawny, Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, told THE STAR that it was "a most unfortunate incident" as robberies have been down significantly in Trelawny.

"In fact, we have seen only seven robberies since the start of the year, compared to 13 at this same corresponding period last year, and a number of these robberies have already been cleared up," Ricketts said. "This is a case where persons, especially yam farmers, need to be more careful and vigilant when conducting business, especially with a party they don't know."

He added, "These farmers need to ensure that the prospectives sellers are legitimate and also make checks with other farmers, and even the police who are familiar with most farmers in south Trelawny, to ensure that you are dealing with legitimate farmers like yourself."

Several farmers told THE STAR that they now intend to form a neighbourhood watch group to help protect themselves.