The T&T Police Service is now working with their counterparts in Interpol to locate a woman police constable who fled the country last week while under investigation for fraud. The 40-year-old officer, who has more than eight years service and was last assigned to the Port-of-Spain CID, reportedly boarded a flight to New York last week, after she was tipped off that her colleagues in the Fraud Squad were investigating her.
Investigators believe that after arriving in the United States the woman hopped onto a connecting flight to the United Kingdom, where she has been staying since. The officer is facing 15 fraud charges for allegedly defrauding the TTPS of close to $300,000 over an almost three-month period. Sources close to the investigation said that in January, the officer claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer and was making claims for medical treatment through the Finance Branch of the TTPS.
The officer, however, is alleged to have inflated the medical fees and falsified the invoices from the medical institution in west Trinidad where she was allegedly receiving treatment. Staff at the finance branch eventually contacted the Fraud Squad after they noticed discrepancies while reconciling their accounts. Investigators are also said to be investigating several civilian suspects who may have assisted the officer in the sham. Senior police sources refused to comment on the incident yesterday, as they said the investigation is at a sensitive stage.