Police Detain One After $45,000 Bella Vista Home Burglary

Police are investigating an aggravated burglary reported early this morning in the Bella Vista area of Belize City.  The victim, a foreign businessman, told police he was asleep inside his home shortly before three o’clock when he was awakened by his alarm system. As he walked through the house to make checks, he reportedly came face-to-face with three masked men. One of them was wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet.  Police say one of the intruders was armed with what appeared to be a nine-millimetre pistol. The homeowner was struck to the head and forced back into his bedroom at gunpoint.  The men then stole a metal safe containing three passports, and identification documents.  They also took a luxury wristwatch valued at twenty thousand US dollars and three cellular phones.  The total value of the stolen items is estimated at forty-five thousand Belize dollars.  Investigators found that the burglars entered the home by damaging locks on a security door and a glass door on the lower flat. The home owner sustained an abrasion to the right side of his head and was taken to the hospital for medical attention.  Police have detained one person as the investigation continues.