A burglar was given a severe beating by residents of Campbellville Housing Scheme early yesterday morning shortly after he had broken into at least five homes, stealing cash and cellular phones.

The visibly injured and bloodied man was handed over to the ranks at the Prashad Nagar Outpost around 3:30 am after enduring a thrashing from residents in the Stone Avenue and Fourth Street area where he had been cornered.

Minutes before he was captured, the burglar, who gave residents a city address during the beating, was seen counting money. However a group of male residents who began patrolling the area after receiving word of break-ins, later realized it was him based on description of his attire.

The man targeted homes that did not have a male occupant.

Natasha Walker recalled that just before 1 am she was looking at television in her bedroom when she saw a hand appear on her window sill. She explained that she did some work on her home recently that resulted in the removal of some wooden bars she had on the window. The scheme consists mainly of two-storey range houses and the bedrooms are located on the upper flat.

She said that she was so shocked that her calls for help were barely audible.

After realizing that he had been seen, the man jumped off of his makeshift ladder and scaled fences before concealing himself in a dark area not far away.

As the man escaped, the woman said she began hollering for “thief” and neighbours came out. It was only then she learnt that unsuccessful attempts had been made on her neighbour’s houses.

The woman said she immediately contacted a male resident living a short distance away and he decided to look for the suspect.

Prior to this, the burglar had removed window panes from a house on another range and managed to get some money from the pockets of a pair of pants that was hanging nearby. A cell phone on a nearby table drew his attention and in the process of trying to get it, a female occupant of the house awoke.

The man then fled when the woman raised an alarm.

The man also broke into another house and the woman who lived there assumed it was her brother. She however became suspicious after the person failed to respond to her and on checking came face to face with the man

A teacher also came face to face with the man. The woman was watching television when her kitchen light was turned off. She later saw the man in her house.

Walker told Stabroek News that the group of young men searched about an hour before they found the man and at least three cellular phones were found in his possession. During the course of the beating more may have fallen out, she added.

“This thing scary because I was going to sleep with my son in the other room and I would not have liked to know that a man I don’t know was in my house”, the still shaken woman said.

Another resident questioned how the man managed to scale a newly built five-foot fence at the back of her house.

The resident recalled “between sleep and wake” seeing someone looking out her bedroom window but assumed that it was her daughter.
The burglar removed her bag from her bedroom and took it downstairs where he removed an undisclosed amount of cash from inside. The man also entered the other room and removed cash from a purse as well as a cellular phone which had been charging at the time.

The resident questioned how no one woke up during the incident or none of the many dogs barked. During his escape the burglar dropped several $20 bills inside and outside the yard.

Residents spoke of the time when they could have left their clothing on the line or things in the yard without fear.

Yesterday’s incidents rattled many residents with some calling for the dark spots in the community to be brightened up.

Charges are to be laid against the man shortly.