Illegal Cash Pot vendors say cops robbed them

Several illegal Cash Pot operators in a section of the Corporate Area have gone into hiding after they were allegedly robbed of their ill-gotten gains by a set of rogue cops who swooped down on them early this week.

Information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that at least two of the vendors have made hasty retreats from communities in which they once earned upwards of $50,000 a day, when requests for payouts to some winners threatened to get physical.

One of the vendors said: “Me afi lift up cause di people dem want dem money. Dem nuh business if police come tek weh everything. Mi have people fi pay from Monday and Tuesday before dem run in pan mi. Mi afi stand di loss, mi can’t report it cause you done know it illegal. This is just a big dilemma. Mi nuh know weh fi do a nuh like me sell fi myself, the boss deh overseas.”

THE WEEKEND STAR gathered that another female vendor’s shop was ransacked, allegedly by police personnel, who confiscated about $35,000 in earnings and illegal cigarettes.

A resident, who allegedly witnessed the event, said the process was swift.

“Dem come in police car and police uniform mad. Dem run inna the building and ask her fi di money dem. Dem tell her sey dem a go lock her up and she give dem everything and dem just go weh leave her. All now we nuh hear not another word”, the eyewitness said.

STAND-OFF

THE WEEKEND STAR was told that the stand-off between the sellers and disgruntled winners has intensified since word of the actions of the policemen in question began making the rounds.

A distraught winner said: “Right now a back to school, suh mi nuh really inna the sad story cause a nuff tricks in trade. Me will wait, mi just want my money but people nah go wait too long fi dem winning. Mi win from Monday.”

The vendors said that they did not report the incidents out of fear of being arrested.

Efforts to speak to the commanding officer for the police division in question proved futile. Repeated calls to his cell phone went unanswered.

Following queries from THE WEEKEND STAR, the Corporate Communications Unit said that its checks did not unearth any findings where money or illegal cigarettes were confiscated in the space in question.