Four masked gunmen invaded the Fung-Fook Supermarket at Vryheid Village, West Canje, Berbice on Monday evening and stole an undisclosed sum of cash and a quantity of jewellery.
Police said last evening that they promptly responded to the report of the robbery and pursued the bandits into a swampy area, where there was an exchange of gunfire. But no arrests were made, police reported.
During the attack on the supermarket, the bandits held up owner Deryck Fung-Fook, 53, his daughter and cashier Erika Fung-Fook, 21, and Leonard Bhagwandin, 46 and Dameon Ramballi. The young woman was severely beaten by the men during the attack and was said to have been left traumatized afterward.
Ramballi told Stabroek News that he was sitting in the supermarket when he noticed a white 212 motorcar approach and four men exited. “They pull up and four guys run out, one with a shotgun and one with a revolver, and they run in and collect me and carry me at the back to the freezer,” he stated, adding that three of the four men were armed with guns while the other had a knife.
Ramballi noted that the shotgun was placed to his face as the bandits demanded money. “He went asking me weh de money so I say I don’t live here then he walk up to Erika and pull off she gold bangle,” he said.
He further stated that the bandits proceeded to the cash register which they “ransacked.”
He said that he was ordered to lie flat on the ground after he was gun-butted by one of the perpetrators. Erika, however, suffered the most as she was hit in the stomach with the weapons before being dragged by her hair upstairs.
“I jump up and retaliate and one of them stamp me and another one of them say shoot he and the one over me squeeze the trigger lil bit so I had to lie down back,” Ramballi recalled.
He said after the girl was taken upstairs, he could only hear stomping and her telling the men “This is all I get.”
The girl’s mother, Pamela Fung-Fook, told this newspaper that she was not at home at the time of the incident but related that her daughter had been beaten and has been left traumatized.
“She get the severity of the licks…they beat she and she give them everything. Now she is so traumatized that she didn’t even want to go to the doctor. She tell she cousins she want to go home and be with her parents,” the woman said.
She added that her daughter’s skin has been left with several black and blue marks and she is using pain killers to ease the soreness.
“Everyone say if I been home I mighta get kill because I woulda can’t stand and see them do that to my child… people think it might not even happen if I been, because I always keep a watchful eye on the place,” Pamela indicated.
She added that after the gunmen would have fled the scene on foot, her husband fired a single gunshot to alert neighbours and attempted to locate the perpetrators. These efforts were futile.
Mrs. Fung-Fook told this newspaper that she was thankful for the life and safety of her family.
She noted that prior to this attack, there were three attempted robberies on the business but none was successful.
