Bandits yesterday struck at the Fullworks Motor Spares store at Gordon Street, Kitty, robbing the manager of over $400,000 in cash and jewellery before escaping.
The robbery occurred shortly after the store had opened at 8 am yesterday and after the three bandits left police took 45 minutes to show up. Mohamed Assad Ali, the manager of the store related that he had just opened the business place, which sells spare parts for vehicles and was standing outside when he noticed two well-dressed males heading up Gordon Street towards the store.
He stated that they entered the store as though they were customers and called him inside. “They ask the price for a light, I seh which one of the light and they haul out the gun”, he stated. Ali said that the two bandits only had one gun, a revolver.
He stated that one grabbed him and held him at gunpoint while the other relieved him of gold jewellery, his watch and his cellular phone. He was forced into the office and the bandits took over $60,000 in cash. The total value of the items taken was about $440,000.
He stated that at this point, a beige AT192 car stopped in front of the building and another man emerged. “When I see he coming deh I see he with a part in he hand”. Ali said that he thought that the man was a customer but the bandit holding him told him otherwise. “I seh you gat to get something, then the man with the gun seh no, he ain’t gat to get nothing”.
He recounted that he was held down while the bandits demanded to know where “the safe” was. “They seh whey the safe deh, they want the safe with the money”, Ali recalled. He stated that two of the bandits then carried him upstairs while the third remained on guard downstairs. He related that all the while they kept asking where the safe was and searching the place. When no safe was located, he was brought back downstairs. A friend of Ali, Kevin Edwards came in at this point and was ordered to lie face-down on the floor. Ali was also placed to lie on the floor and told to keep his head down and the bandits locked the door. After the bandits realized that there was no possibility of getting any more loot, they left. Ali said that one of the bandits was talking on his cellular phone as he left. He said he did not know whether any vehicle was waiting on them and he had never seen any of the men before.
But following the 20-minute ordeal, another one awaited. The still-shaken man said that he called the Kitty Police station and 911 several times but on each occasion, got a busy tone. He said that the owner finally managed to get through to the police, who turned up 45 minutes later. By then, the men had been long gone. (Gaulbert Sutherland)
