Two more suspects, believed to be connected to last Tuesday's fatal robbery at the Happiness Supermarket, Curepe, have been arrested by Northern Division officers.
Acting on information, officers, led by Snr Supt David Abraham and Sgt Pitt, on Sunday went to Maloney and arrested two Trinidadians.
The men, said to be in their 20s, are believed to have played a role in the robbery, which resulted in the death of Chinese businessman Hi Hong Huang.
Senior officers yesterday confirmed the arrest but said the men were also wanted in connection with a spate of robberies in the district.
Up to late yesterday the suspects remained in custody as they were yet to be placed on identification parades. Officers also confirmed that the two Jamaican women who were arrested the day after the robbery remained in custody.
Denying claims that local officials had approached Interpol for assistance in locating two suspects believed to have fled the country, senior officers assured that the investigation was continuing apace.
They, however, appealed to the public to partner with the police to apprehend suspects connected to this and other matters, adding any information would be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
Hong, 35, was fatally shot as he struggled with bandits during a robbery outside his businessplace on April 7. CCTV footage revealed that he was shot by one of the men as he attempted to wrestle with another to prevent them escaping with a box containing an undisclosed sum of money. An autopsy confirmed that the father of three died as a result of a bullet to the chest.
Less than 24 hours after the incident, police arrested the two Jamaican women at the Piarco International Airport. The suspects were said be employed as security guards at the supermarket.
Huang's body remained at the mortuary of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mt Hope, over the weekend as arrangements were still to be determined regarding the funeral.
Family members revealed that Huang's parents arrived in the country on Friday night and while they are desirous of returning his body to the Chung Shan Province, China, his wife has expressed an interest in burying him in T&T.
Up to yesterday, family members were unable to say if final arrangements had been agreed upon.
Moratorium on immigrants
Meanwhile, former national security minister Gary Griffith has renewed a call for a three-month moratorium to be extended to illegal immigrants in T&T.
In a press release, Griffith, who in now national security policy advisor with the Alliance of Independents, said the unfortunate incident emphasised his concern "that there is a clear and present danger with regard to illegal immigrants in our country if it is not controlled."
He said that was evident with the arrest of the two Jamaican women in the case.
Griffith had indicated his intention to introduce that measure prior to his departure from office. Claiming that for every ten adults in T&T there was one who is here illegally, Griffith said: "It is a recipe for disaster in several aspects.
"Prior to my departure, I had implemented a method to deal with this issue, via a three-month moratorium, whereby all those who are here illegally would have this window to come forward and justify your reason for being considered to remain here as a visitor, or to acquire a work permit, and after this period, all those who did not take up this opportunity and remain as an illegal immigrant would be deported to their home country."
Adding that this along with other projects had been shelved since his departure from office, Griffith said: "The unfortunate incident regarding the Chinese businessman being killed is not an isolated one as it pertains to illegal immigrants using their cloak to attempt to commit crime in our country.
"Hence, to minimise such future incidents, it is the intent of the Alliance of Independents to have this project immediately restarted if given the opportunity to do so, as this is seen as a major aspect towards improving our nation's security."