Tristan Saphan Franklyn, a 26-year-old labourer from Friendship Village, East Bank Demerara, was arrested today by the Guyana Police Force after he was found in possession of suspected forged Guyana currency notes.
According to reports, at approximately 07:59 hours this morning, Althea Peters, a 44-year-old Customer Services Representative and Cashier at Banks DIH Limited, located at Brickdam and Cornhill Street, Stabroek Georgetown, reported to the Stabroek Police Outpost that a customer, later identified as Tristan Saphan Franklyn, had visited her workplace to purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Ms. Peters informed police that Franklyn made a payment of eighty thousand dollars (GY$80,000), all in five thousand-dollar notes. Upon inspecting the money, Peters observed that the bills appeared to be counterfeit. She immediately handed the money over to a police rank stationed at the Stabroek Outpost.
Afterwards, the police were able to identify Franklyn, and he was subsequently arrested. A search of his black haversack revealed an additional one hundred and eighty thousand dollars (GY$180,000), all consisting of five thousand-dollar bills, which were also suspected to be forged.
Franklyn was taken into custody and escorted to Brickdam Police Station, where he remains in custody. The suspected counterfeit currency notes were collected and placed in an evidence bag, marked, sealed, and will be sent to the forensic laboratory for further analysis.
The Guyana Police Force has confirmed that investigations into the matter are ongoing.