Man robs millions from employer

The St James police have arrested a man who reportedly fleeced his employer, a Chinese national, of more than J$2 million cash.

A senior officer told the news team that the police are unable to release the identity of the accused.

Reports are that the employer, who is a building contractor, locked up a large amount of cash inside his office some time in January.

On Tuesday, he decided to check the money and discovered that the bag containing the money was broken into, and cash amounting to more than US$15,000 (approximately J$2.2 million), as well as J$100,000 was missing. He immediately confronted the accused who is the only employee with access to that area.

Denied knowing anything

He denied knowing anything about the stolen cash. The businessman then made a report to the police and, following an investigation, the accused reportedly confessed.

Further checks revealed that he had already used up most of the stolen cash, but returned US$500 to the police. He reportedly told police that among his purchases was a seven-seater vehicle.

The officer told THE WEEKEND STAR that the incident underscores a warning that the police have been constantly sending to Chinese business operators.

"This is another instance where a Chinese national failed to safely secure large sums of cash," the officer stated. "Over the recent months, we have seen where a number of these Chinese business operators fail to secure large sums of cash through the right channels, and their own carelessness has cost them dearly."

The officer said that in this instance, the businessman is very fortunate because the police acted swiftly in apprehending the perpetrator. The St James police say the parish has recorded five robberies since the start of the year, five less than the corresponding period last year.