An Annandale couple was on Friday evening robbed of almost $2 million in cash and jewellery by four masked men, minutes after returning from Linden where they had gone to sell fish.
During the 15-minute ordeal, the couple were repeatedly gun butted in the head and kicked about the body as the determined bandits made their requests.
Police at the Vigilance Police Station came in for heavy criticism for not answering the telephones when residents were calling for help. One of the victims eventually had to go to the station to inform them about the incident.
Up to press time last evening there was no word from the police on the incident. For Danraj Kurmiah and his wife Niroajanie of Annandale Marshon Sand Reef, ECD this is the third such ordeal in three years, all in the month of February. The couple who also owns several fishing vessels has been living in the area for about 20 years, 13 of which were dedicated to the fishing business.
Danraj told the Stabroek News that he and his wife and two of their employees came down from Linden on Friday evening. He said he dropped one employee out on the road before proceeding to his home.
When he arrived he noticed that the gate at the side of his yard was wide open. It is usually locked. Danraj said he didn’t think anything was wrong because he concluded that his dogs had pushed it open. He said he told his wife that it looked “fishy”, but he later dismissed it. He said he told her to open the house while he locked up the Canter truck. According to Danraj, he then proceeded to side door where he saw two men. “I holler to me worker but by then it was too late because they din done push him down and was coming towards the back door.”
He explained that the truck was parked right in front of the gate so his worker would not have seen the two men.
Danraj said that he tried desperately to close the door on the two men but a cutlass was placed in the opening preventing him from doing so. He said his wife Niroajanie managed to scream once and then the men invaded the home followed by two more. Danraj was gun butted and he fell to the floor. The men who had handkerchiefs covering their faces and knitted hats on their heads, then went to his wife and meted out the same treatment to her.
He said that after hitting her, one shouted: “Whey de money deh? De money in yuh waist. Tek it out.”
She handed over $620,000, which she had hidden in her waist, and the men then asked for the money in the truck, all the while beating Niroajanie with the gun and kicking Danraj about his body. “Is whey de money from de truck? De money dey at de back of de seat,” Danraj recalled one of the bandits saying.
He said he told them that he had $108,000 there. They then asked for the jewellery.
According to Danraj, one went upstairs, two stayed with them and one was standing guard at the door.
He said that he had over $1 million in jewellery in his bedroom and about US$1,000 that he needed since he was scheduled to leave the country today. However that plan will be disregarded as Danraj said he could not leave his wife alone.
He said while one of the bandits was searching his room, another one who was downstairs started hitting on the ceiling with his shotgun saying that it was time for them to leave.
Danraj added that when the men left they locked the door so he and his wife could not see where they went or what if any means of escape they used, but he believes the bandits fled on foot, as he did not hear a car after the men left. When they felt it was safe, he said, he and his wife went outside and raised an alarm.
Danraj said neighbours came running over and repeated calls were made to the Vigilance Police Station but the number rang out. He said about one hour after the incident, with blood oozing from his head and his body aching, he drove to the station to get the police. Several ranks returned home with him and they looked around and asked several questions before telling him to go to Georgetown Hospital for medical attention.
He said he received four stitches in his head. He and his wife went to the station yesterday where they give the police their statements.
“The police said they coming back today to take finger prints but they ain’t come back yet,” Danraj told this newspaper around 5.30 pm yesterday.
He explained to Stabroek News that he goes to Linden to sell fish two times a week. He said he found it strange that the bandits knew where everything was.
In addition to the cash and jewellery, the bandits also made off with two cellular phones. Meanwhile outlining the family’s tragedy over the last several years, Niroajanie told this newspaper that in February 2006, Danraj was at Mackenzie selling fish when he was robbed of his licensed firearm, $250,000, a gold chain, a diamond ring and a cell phone. In February 2005, she said, her son Ramkumar was stabbed in the lung at Mackenzie while he was selling fish with her and several workers. On that occasion she said, they were robbed of cash and jewellery. She could not say how much.
Niroajanie said later that same year bandits invaded her daughter’s home, which is also located in Annandale. She said neighbours had called her and told her that bandits were robbing her daughter. Niroajanie said her husband and son went to her assistance and manage to catch one of the bandits.
“While they were putting him in the vehicle another one came from behind and shot my son,” she said.
She added that in 2005, three of their fishing vessels were hijacked and the following year another one was hijacked. In all four instances, she said, the engines were stolen. The frustrated couple said all of the matters were reported and statements were taken but nothing ever came out of them.
“We don’t know what to do now or where to go. I had to send my two children away from here because of this,” Niroajanie said.
The woman added that robberies were infrequent in that community.
