‘[It] is like a ghost-town; the shops closing early and everyone going indoors early’
The police last night announced that three men have been held following the deadly rampage at Chesney, Corentyne on Saturday night.
Labourer, Ganesh Ramkellawan was killed in the attack. Businessman Amarnath Jaggernath, 59 of Chesney Back, Corentyne, who was wounded when four masked bandits stormed his home on Saturday was yesterday discharged from the hospital but a pall of terror looms large over life in the village after the attack.
His daughter, Seema Jaggernath told Stabroek News on Monday that the pellets were still lodged in her father’s legs and one in his abdomen but the doctors told her that surgeries would not have to be done to remove them. Her mother, Natranie, 53, who was also beaten by the bandits during the ordeal, was “feeling better” but was still in a state of shock and experiencing pain about her body.
Jaggernath was closing the gate when the bandits dealt him two chops with a cutlass. They then fired the shots at him and pulled him into his grocery, hardware and off-licence beer garden and robbed him of a large quantity of cellular phone cards. The bandits also entered the house and escaped with his licensed .32 revolver, $400,000 cash and a quantity of gold jewellery worth over $600,000.
Seema said they have not yet opened for business and told this newspaper on Monday that the “village is like a ghost-town; the shops closing early and everyone going indoors early.” Police were also observed patrolling the area after the incident occurred.
Ramkellawan, 34, was shot dead as the bandits were escaping after robbing the Jaggernaths and a neighbour.
A post-mortem examination showed that he died from shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot wounds. Ganesh was sitting on a bench close to the door in his mother’s shop when he was hit by a stray bullet. He attempted to run to the back of the yard when he collapsed.
On Monday, his sister-in-law, Indra Bhir told this newspaper that the incident – which had never occurred in the area before – was having an effect on the wake being held for him.
She said that “people hardly coming out to the wake and they going home early; by 7:30 everybody gone. But when me father-in-law died [one month ago] we din had place fuh de people who turn out.”
