00:00A quarter of a million dollars allegedly taken by three police officers during the search of the home of scrap
00:05iron dealer Akini Joseph is now under investigation by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau following a report made by
00:12Joseph's relatives.
00:14Attorney Subhash Pandey, representing Akini Joseph, said Joseph's relatives reported the matter to the PSB.
00:20The complaint was made against a corporal and two constables who were part of a search at Joseph's home.
00:26Pandey told TV6 that several officers of the Marabella police station arrived at Joseph's residence on Saturday evening, June 27th,
00:33and said they came to search for a quantity of stolen brass.
00:36When the officers arrived, Joseph was not at his Claxton Bay residence since he was attending a cricket match.
00:42According to Pandey, Joseph was called by a relative by phone during the search and he told the relative to
00:48allow the cops to search the compound.
00:50During the search, Pandey said that officers chucked the ceiling in one of the bedrooms, causing a $5 bill to
00:57fall from the ceiling to the floor.
00:59Pandey reported that shortly after, at the corporal's request, one of the police constables walked outside and grabbed the ladder.
01:05He claimed they removed a box from the ceiling with money in stacks of $50,000, totaling the sum of
01:12$250,000.
01:13Police sources also stated that they had obtained video footage of the operation from CCC TV cameras, which showed one
01:20of the constables leaving the premises and allegedly stuffing money into his pockets.
01:25TV6 saw one of the video clippings.
01:27The police had declared to Joseph's relatives that they had found nothing illegal on the compound.
01:33Pandey stated that when Joseph arrived, the cops were just about to conclude their search,
01:37and he was alerted by a relative that the police had reportedly stolen money from the bedroom.
01:42Attorney Pandey further added that Joseph confronted the corporal, insisting that the money taken should be returned, and expressed his
01:50wish to contact his lawyer.
01:52According to Pandey, Joseph continued to protest the removal of the cash, and it was at that point police officers
01:58detained him.
01:59He said his client was detained for several days for alleged threats against police officers,
02:04and it was only on Wednesday, July 1st, he was questioned about stolen brass.
02:09On July 6th, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander signed a preventive detention order for Joseph based on intelligence reports,
02:17alleging he was part of an informal crime group.
02:20According to the notice, Joseph has been linked to the disposal of stolen items via scrap metal business.
02:25It further claims he threatened specific police officers during a recent search of his residence, and has been linked to
02:31firearm possession.
02:33Authorities reported that intelligence suggested Joseph's group was preparing to escalate its operations, intensifying attacks on commercial premises.
02:41Pandey stated that he has subsequently submitted an application to review his client's PDO,
02:46and is still awaiting a date for the hearing before the review tribunal.
02:49Pandey said police were abusing the state of emergency and going into innocent people's homes without search warrants.
02:56He said authorities must take steps to prevent this kind of behavior.
03:00Mark Besant, TV6 News.
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