By INDARJIT SEURAJ Tuesday, February 9 2010

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SETTLED: Corporate secretary of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation Julia Charles-Joseph, left, receives a cheque for $242,184.96 from Risk Manageme...

THE Diego Martin Regional Corporation (DMRC) yesterday collected an insurance cheque to be cashed and the money used to purchase a replacement gold ceremonial chain, worn by the corporation’s chairman, which was stolen in January.

It took insurance brokers, Risk Management Services Ltd, just two weeks to settle the claim made by the corporation.

At the boardroom of the corporation office on Petit Valley Main Road yesterday, DMRC corporate secretary Julia Charles-Joseph received the cheque written for $242,184.96 from Risk Management Account Executive Sandra Seuraj.

The ceremonial chain is worn by the chairman of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, Steve Castagne and was revalued late last year.

On January 12, thieves broke into the corporation offices and entered the vault, where they stole the ceremonial chain, four pistols, a revolver and several rounds of ammunition.

The handguns including four Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistols and a Taurus .38 revolver, are worth over $32,000 and settlement for this is expected to be reached sometime this week.

Investigators suspect the heist may have been an “inside job” and despite searches at the homes of several corporation employees, they are yet to recover the stolen items.