POLICE have held a suspect in a home invasion incident in Penal on Monday when three relatives were assaulted for almost an hour and a half.

During the incident, the four men armed with a firearm and cutlasses poisoned the family's pet dog, broke into their home and held a woman, her sister and a teenage nephew hostage while searching for hundreds of thousands of dollars they believed was kept there.

The suspects repeatedly beat the three family members and ransacked the rooms, combing every inch searching for the cash, while in contact via cellphone with an accomplice. Police have detained a Siparia man in connection with the crimes. A 31-year-old man of Wells Road was held in a police operation led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Richard Smith and coordinated by Assistant Superintendent of Police Anthony Sinclair. Suspect killed by cops identified