Eight persons, including two women, were Monday arrested and a gun and ammunition recovered as police probed two armed robberies in which bandits escaped with more than GUY$4.3 million in cash and other valuables.

Police said three of the men have been positively identified as being perpetrators of the robberies.

Guyana Police Force spokesman, Ivelaw Whittaker said that about 4:30 AM students Vivian Rookhum, 31 years, and his brother Frederick Cheong, 30 years, were at their home at 9^th Field, Cummings Lodge, when they were held up by two men who entered the building through an open door.  The men were armed with a handgun and a cutlass.

The armed men took away their jewellery, a laptop computer, two cell phones and a bicycle and escaped. Police Chief of Criminal Investigations, Assistant Commissioner Seelall Persaud says those items value GUY$840,000. The jewellery alone fetches a price of GUY$400,000. He explained that their father had opened the verandah door to go and smoked a cigarette. On returning inside, he left the door opened.

Less than half hour later, at about  4:50 AM businessman Mohamed Khan, 42 years, was in his motor lorry at his residence at 7^th Field, Cummings Lodge, when he was confronted by three men, two of whom were armed with a handgun and a cutlass.

The perpetrators then took away a bag reportedly containing US$16,440 and GUY$255,000 and escaped.

Whittaker said police responded quickly to the reports received and diligent investigations led to a search on a house at 4^th Field, Cummings Lodge, where an unlicensed .38 revolver with two rounds was found and the six men and two women arrested.

Two of the men have been identified as perpetrators in the armed robbery on Khan and one other identified in the armed robbery on Rookhum and Cheong