Today, Benque police caught Vilma Guzman, a fugitive wanted in connection with the October 18, 2008 robbery of the Corozal Belize Bank Branch, which netted the assailants approximately $116,930 in cash.
Police quickly determined that it was an inside job, and they initially charged Guzman, who was working as teller at the bank, and her boyfriend, Alex Arana.
The couple was arraigned, but when the matter proceeded to a preliminary inquiry in 2009, the sitting magistrate stuck it out of court because the prosecutor was not prepared.
On instructions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, they were supposed to have been brought back against the two. Unfortunately, police were only able to detain Arana; Guzman absconded before she could be charged a second time.
Well this morning, an officer attached to the Benque Police Station, recognized Guzman as a person of interest; apparently, he had been attached to the Corozal Police Station during the time of the robbery, and he did know her by face when she was arrested and charged the first time.
When the officer approached her and recognized who she was, he immediately detained her. Her identity was verified, and she is in custody tonight. She told police that she was travelling from San Benito, Peten, in Guatemala; she had intentions of visiting various parts of Belize.
Police are making preparations for her immediate transfer to Corozal, where the charges will be brought back, as was to have been done a long time ago.
In that robbery, it was alleged that Guzman led an unsuspecting employee outside to the ATM. She allegedly reported to the manager that it was malfunctioning. When they got inside, two men held them up at gunpoint and forced them to empty the ATM of all its cash, and escaped.
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