By Paras Ramoutar
Port-of-Spain, Feb 5 (IANS) Some $200,000 in cash, plus jewellery, VVIP tickets for the Beyonce “I Am” show and the honorary “Order of Australia” formed part of a big heist at the home of world’s cricketing icon Brian Lara Wednesday.

And a maid at his home is being detained at the St. Clair Police Station, police said.

The honorary, “Order of Australia” which was bestowed on him by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd when he attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was among his treasured items.

Lara was unavailable to talk to the media, however, his cricketing mentor, Joey Carew, said that the incident was yet, “another dent in the reputation of Trinidad and Tobago and an insult to the national icon”.

“It is more than shameful,” he added.

According to police, Lara walked into the St. Clair Police Station, just a stone throw from his mansion on Lady Chancellor Hill, and lodged the complaint.

Lara said he left his home at 4 p.m. Tuesday and secured his house properly, and returned at 7 p.m. He went ot bed later in the night and when he got up early Wednesday, he discovered his metal safe containing jewellery, cash and other valuables mssing from his master bedroom. Lara has promised to give a complete audit of the items stolen.

So far, none of the items nor the cash were recovered. Senior officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have been assigned round-the-clock to solve the robbery. Fingerprints experts dusted the crime scene but did not retrieve anything much.

Senior Superintendent Glen Hackett said the police would leave no stone unturned in geting the matter solved.

Lara is involved in staging the international star Beyonce later this month.

Trinidad and Tobago’s population is made up of 44 percent of East Indian who were sourced from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India during the period 1845 to 1917 to work on the sugar plantations.