As he was being beaten by one of the bandits who invaded his family’s Grove, East Bank Demerara store on Saturday night, 38-year-old Bhojindra Gopaul thought he was going to die so he attacked the man who was armed with a gun.
Bhojindra was shot in his left thigh and is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital. At about 6:30 pm on Friday, at least five bandits, three of whom were armed with guns struck at the Gopaul’s Grove Squatting Area home. Police said that the robbery is being investigated. In a statement the police said that investigations so far have revealed that Mahadeo Gopaul, 64, along with his wife Surujdai and two sons Sewnandan and Bhojindra were in the process of closing their shop when they were confronted by the five armed men who held them up and demanded cash.
During the process Sewnandan and Bhojindra resisted and a scuffle ensued between them and one of the armed men during which they were shot in their left and right thigh, respectively. The men then took away an undisclosed sum of cash from a drawer and escaped, the police said.
No arrests have been made thus far and police recovered several spent shells at the scene yesterday.
Recounting the events of Friday evening, Bhojindra told this newspaper yesterday that the family was about to lock up their store when the men walked in the yard. He said that the men ordered them to go inside but “everybody buss loose” and he started to shout “thief, thief”.
But since he was the closest to the door, he was forced inside while his father and mother managed to escape. Two of the bandits forced him on his knees and with his hands on his head, guided him inside. One was armed with a brown handgun. Bhojindra said that he begged them not to kill him while they demanded money. He recounted telling them that he did not have any and one took a sealed drink bottle and began to hit him on his head. He, however, used his hand, to block the blows. He said that the bandit then started to slap him in the face. “Then me seh, dead deh hay”, he stated, recalling that at that moment, he rushed up to the bandit and slammed him to the ground.
The other accomplice, who was searching the room at the time, came from behind and hit Bhojindra. “He try to hustle when me and the one ah pash way (fight)”, Bhojindra recalled. The bandit had grabbed the drawer with the money. Bhojindra stated that he picked up one of the bottles and hit the bandit, then ran for the door. As he ran the first bandit fired at least three shots and one hit him in his left thigh. He said that he attempted to hide behind the door. One of the bandits went out while the other kicked at the door. However, the accomplice returned and shouted that they should go.
By this time, the alarm had been raised in the neighbourhood and residents were shouting. The men, who were not wearing masks, left on foot. The men, who appeared to be in their twenties, were well dressed in jerseys and jeans with “clean” haircuts. “They ah look like decent people”, said Bhojindra. It was the first time that the family was ever robbed.
His brother, Sewanandan, had at the same time been resisting the gunmen, and he too sustained a gunshot wound but in his right thigh. He was beaten by the bandits too. According to him, it was at least six bandits, with one keeping watch. The bullets are still lodged in the men’s thighs. Sewanandan could barely move yesterday and was in pain.
Police took statements from them yesterday. Mahadeo had sustained injuries to his head and chest when one of the gunmen repeatedly hit him with his weapon and he and his wife remained traumatized, relatives said.
Relatives of the men yesterday reiterated a call that security be increased and for more patrols in the area stating that they were doing an honest business and bandits were attacking.
