by Charles Gladden
SAN RAMON, COROZAL DISTRICT, Tues. Dec. 13, 2022
At about 3:00 in the morning on Sunday, part of a Belize Bank ATM that reportedly contained over $100,000 was stolen from Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico in San Roman Village, Corozal District, by four robbers who held the two watchmen at the institution — Faustino Dominguez, 34, and Alfonso Castaneda, 55 — at gunpoint.
The robbers then proceeded to put into motion what appeared to be a well-laid-out plan. First, they stole a chisel, some electrical drills, a sledgehammer, and an electrical grinder from the shed at the back of the school that housed a wood shop. They then removed the metal door of the school building in which the ATM was located, and after going inside that building, they disabled the alarm system, and damaged the security cameras and electrical lines before stealing a portion of the ATM that contained a large amount of cash.
The next part of their plan then went into effect, with a black SUV arriving at the scene and transporting the four men and the stolen money in the direction of Corozal Town.
It seemed like a well-thought-out heist, possibly carried out by someone with inside knowledge of the layout of the school. When one reporter made mention of this to the communications director of the Belize Police Department, ASP Yearwood, he said, “We do believe that it’s someone or maybe persons that have knowledge of the whole operation. Some years ago, in Corozal also, they did almost the same at the Belize Bank ATM. So they stole one hundred and sixteen thousand eight hundred and recovered one hundred and sixteen thousand dollars the same Sunday. I am hoping that these persons are not out and decided to repeat their crimes. I know they were arrested and charged. But usually, it is people who have knowledge of this whole operation that would try these things.”
Yearwood further stated, “The Belize Bank ATM that was stolen also over the weekend from Escuela Secundaria Mexico in San Roman Village. We have spoken to a few persons, including the watchman. An estimate of the missing money was sent to us in the tune of in excess of a hundred thousand dollars. We are following up a lead that was relayed that these persons were all dressed in camouflage, four of them. And we are asking the general public to assist us if they may know or have any information that could help the police to detain these persons.”