THE police have identified the armed robbers who robbed an employee of the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) of approximately $3 million during a daring daylight hold-up yesterday.

A female bearer employed to the KSAC was taking a bag with the cash to make a deposit at a financial institution when, upon leaving the corporation’s Church Street headquarters in downtown Kingston, a man brandished a firearm and grabbed the bag with the cash from her.

The man then jumped on the back of a motorcycle and the driver drove off but not before an armed security guard challenged the robbers. Their was a brief exchange of gunfire, but the robbers managed to escape.

It is not clear if any of the robbers was hurt, but no one in the vicinity of the shoot-out was reportedly injured.

Head of the Kingston Central Police Division Superintendent Steve McGregor told the Jamaica Observer that the police had identified the suspects and were hoping to collar them soon.

“We have a lot of leads and we know the people who carried out this act. We are hot on their heels,” he said.

Yesterday, as curious onlookers gathered behind police yellow tape that was used to cordon off the area, people were overheard wondering why a lone female employee was entrusted to take such a large sum without security.

McGregor, too, was concerned about what appeared to be careless security by the KSAC with government funds.

“I met with the mayor and her team and pointed out some shortcomings. We will be assisting them in the future,” he said.

McGregor said the police were also probing the possibility of it being an inside job.

“The people were waiting outside. They must have known who was coming out with the cash and what time they would be coming out. We are looking at the possibility if there was any inside collusion,” he said.

In the meantime, the KSAC has launched its own internal investigation into the robbery of the funds.