Two armed bandits posing as customers yesterday carted off an estimated $15 million worth of gold and diamond jewellery from the Ram’s jewellery store at Rosignol, West Bank Berbice (WBB) but one of them was later held under the Berbice Bridge with a gun and some of the loot.
Bisham Govind Ram, one of the robbery victims told Stabroek News last evening that the men were seen entering a bushy area near De Edward Village shortly after the incident.
A police statement last night said that the force responded promptly to the robbery report received and conducted continuous searches spearheaded by the Division’s anti-crime patrols. “Subsequently, acting on information received, the police arrested a suspect who was found in the Berbice River, in the vicinity of the Berbice River Bridge, holding on to a pontoon.
“He was searched and a bag that he had in his possession was found to contain a quantity of jewellery, an unlicensed .32 pistol with 9 matching rounds and an unlicensed .38 snub-nose revolver with 4 matching rounds.
“The suspect has been identified as one of the perpetrators and the jewellery recovered has been identified as part of that stolen during the armed robbery on the Jewellery and Pawn Shop earlier. He is in police custody assisting with the investigations”
Earlier, Ram’s mother Chandrowti had recounted to this newspaper that at 9:40 am one of the men entered the store and left after enquiring about the price for a child’s ring.
Shortly after, another man entered and bought a pair of stud earrings worth $500. The other man came back into the store and the two waited until another customer had left.
At that point Chandrowti who is the owner of the establishment and Ram who is her son were packing jewellery into the showcases when the woman overhead one of the men who was on his cell phone talking about shooting. She said that she immediately stopped packing as she became scared.
Moments later she recalled she was being held at gunpoint by the bandit who was on the cell phone. She was instructed to hand over everything, she told this newspaper.
The other bandit ran behind the counter and began throwing jewellery into a haversack he had with him. After spending about 15 minutes in the store, the men fled leaving behind a few pieces of gold jewellery, silver jewellery and watches.
Ram had a similar account of what transpired. He recalled one of the men asking him who is the goldsmith and if he came to work. “I said that the man ain’t come and he (the bandit) seh alright”, he said pointing out that he was immediately overcome with fear.
It was at that point he said that the man pulled out a revolver and instructed him not to move. “He tell we cooperate, that he ain’t come to harm no body and that if we move he will shoot”, the terrified young man recalled.
Ram said that he and his mother were placed to lie on the ground while the bandits pushed in the door and instructed his accomplice to grab the jewellery.
The men then fled the scene on foot.
According to Ram, from all appearances the men were watching their movements for some time but apparently do not know the area.
He said that this is the third time his family has suffered at the hands of robbers. There was a break-in last year during which the perpetrators escaped with jewellery. Then later there was another break-in during which a quantity of gold jewellery was stolen. Ram said that persons were arrested and charged in relation to the latter case and some of the stolen jewellery was recovered.
