By Gareyson Neufville
Maryland County: The Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC) and the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) have reportedly lost more than US$439,000, along with Liberian dollars and CFA francs, following an armed robbery at their shared central office in Pleebo-Sodoken District, Maryland County.
The attack reportedly occurred at about 3 a.m. Wednesday, when unidentified armed men entered the company compound and overpowered security personnel assigned to protect the facility.
Three security officers, including an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) officer and two private security guards, were reportedly injured during the incident.
The ERU officer has been identified as Sergeant Romeo Payne, ID #3006. Sources say he sustained multiple injuries and was reportedly disarmed of his secondary 9mm firearm during the attack.
His M4 rifle, bearing serial number ERU 256, was later recovered and is reportedly in the custody of authorities.
Two private security officers, Orailey Nance and Moses Dennis, were also reportedly injured. All three are said to be receiving treatment at the CRC Hospital.
According to inside sources,the money reportedly taken during the robbery had been withdrawn from a bank to facilitate the monthly payment of CRC and MOPP employees.
Because both companies operate from the same central office, the funds were reportedly transported to the facility and kept there pending payroll.
Preliminary information reportedly showed that CRC had US$203, L$12,150 and CFA 30,000, while MOPP reportedly had US$235,722, L$270 and CFA 190,000.
However, the preliminary dollar figures add up to approximately US$235,925, which differs significantly from the reported overall loss of more than US$439,000.
The discrepancy means the exact amount stolen remains a key issue for investigators to establish through financial records, bank transactions and company cash records.
The circumstances of the robbery have raised questions about how the attackers may have known that a substantial amount of payroll money was being kept at the compound.
Investigators are expected to examine the movement of the money from the bank to the CRC-MOPP facility, including who was involved in transporting the cash and who had knowledge of the payroll arrangements.
The investigation could also determine how many employees, security personnel or other individuals knew the amount of money being kept at the facility.
This does not establish that anyone inside the companies assisted the robbers, but the question of how the attackers knew when and where to strike is likely to be an important part of the investigation.
