A man was last evening shot two times to his leg after he attempted to give chase behind a gang of four men who moments before had robbed and terrorized a family at Berbice.
The man, whose name was given as Mahendra, was rushed to the Skeldon Hospital where he has been admitted as a patient in stable condition.
Stabroek News spoke to Shivlall ‘Tariq’ Serkissoon who explained that around 7pm, he was in his Lot 9, Number 19 Village, Corentyne, Berbice home speaking to his uncle who was at the time relaxing in a hammock.
He said four masked men appeared and scaled his fence, attacking him with guns and cutlasses and demanded that he remain quiet. He said he was beaten and chopped while his uncle was also chopped to the head.
“They tell me shut up or they gon shoot me but I still holler because they had a wake house right next door and I thought people might come and rescue me,” he said.
However, Serkissoon explained that when neighbours realized what was transpiring and were approaching the yard, the gunmen fired shots into the air before making their escape with about $200,000- $300,000 worth of jewellery.
“People rushed out to help… and that’s when they fire the gunshots to scare them off,” the man explained.
Serkissoon said at this point, two of the four perpetrators stayed with he and his uncle while the other two accompanied a female relative, Keshia (only name give), to the bedroom where she handed over the jewellery.
“They took her upstairs and put the cutlass to her neck and ask she weh the gold and money deh and she know where the girl jewellery deh so she tek it out and give them but she didn’t know where the money was,” another family member, Rosie, told this newspaper.
The woman, who was caring for a baby at the time of the robbery, was lashed across the shoulder with the cutlass before having the jewellery snatched from her hands. The baby was unharmed.
Serkissoon said that the frightening ordeal lasted for about 10 minutes, about five of which the neighbours spent outside the premises completely unaware of what was happening. After collecting the jewellery, the victim said the men escaped and ran towards the backdam area. It was at this point that Mahendra was shot.
Rosie told this newspaper that at the wake house, persons were terrified by the gunshots and screams echoed through the village.
When Stabroek News spoke to the family about three hours after the incident, the police had just arrived at the home to take statements and to begin investigations into the matter.
Serkissoon stated that this is the second instance for the year and pointed out that in January four men had attempted to break into the home.
