Police confirmed Tuesday that they arrested three women last week on suspicion of selling illegal lottery tickets.
According to an RCIPS statement, the arrests were made shortly after 9:30pm on Thursday at a commercial premises on Shedden Road in George Town.
Officers had been on what police described as “proactive high visibility patrols”, when they stopped and searched the three women, who they say they had seen selling lottery tickets in a section of the building.
Police have stepped up their patrols in the area since last week when former prison officer Harry Elliott, 62, was shot dead, in what Police Commissioner Derek Byrne described as a “robbery gone wrong”, at a suspected illegal gambling premises on School Road on Monday, 25 April.
Following their search of the Shedden Road location on Thursday, police seized a quantity of cash and lottery tickets.
The women, ages 19, 37, and 51, of George Town, were arrested on suspicion of illegal gambling, and the cash and other items were seized as evidence.
The women were later bailed pending further investigations.
“We are aware that illegal gambling is a catalyst for other more serious and violent offenses that take place, including armed robberies,” Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown said in a the statement. “We take these matters seriously and seek to prosecute offenders for gambling related offenses whenever possible.
“We rely heavily on information from the public about the where, when and who of these crimes and encourage the public to provide us with tips, whether anonymously or confidentially.”
The RCIPS is appealing to anyone who wishes to provide information in relation to illegal gambling and other crimes in the Cayman Islands to call the police confidential tip line at 949-7777 or submit a tip via the RCIPS website.
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