A Robb Street family which was about to make a trip to Berbice was on Saturday night robbed of $4M in cash, jewellery and other articles by two bandits.
Jacquelyn Budhoo, who was inconsolable, told Stabroek News yesterday that around 7:30 pm, two men rushed into her home and held-up several members of her family; attacking both her husband who was not available to speak and another nephew who was also robbed.
She said that the men barged in and demanded “the money yall mek for the Christmas”. They further declared that they knew her husband had gold and cash in the house.
“They came in the house and …I tried to close the door but one a dem was inside the house already and took me to my room where they start search up and find all awe gold and I had on some too and they tek dah to”, Budhoo lamented.
She said during the ordeal her husband was gun-butted to the head by one of the bandits and made to lie on the floor where other family members had been placed. They were warned that if they made a sound they would be killed.
Budhoo explained that the family sells articles in front of their home which is in the vicinity of Bourda Market.
Budhoo said that she and sister were scheduled to travel to Berbice yesterday to conduct business and she said some of the cash which was in bags was to be used to make a number of purchases for the said family business.
During this time, she added that none of their neighbours were able to hear them due to fact that they cooperated with the bandits and stayed quiet in fear of the men who were armed with guns.
Budhoo, who went back into her room after the men embarked on a further search of the house, bent a steal grille and managed to escape through a narrow path on top a neighbour’s roof before calling out for help at a nearby hotel which is situated at the front.
“….after me holler fah help at the hotel, people dem started fah raise an alarm and suh they run away and escape with the gold and money”, she added.
Budhoo’s sister, Maylene Hussain, said at the time of the robbery she was upstairs on her bed when she saw her nephew enter her room with a man “calling for mommy” with a gun to his ears.
“I been on the bed and I had a hand bag with $300,000 in it and I try fah hide it but he took it with mah gold jewellery and then he grab meh and keep walking and me and meh son end up in meh niece room”, cried Hussain.
She related that the bandit said that he would not harm her and collected the small amount of gold which she had on her person. She said the bandit then went back to her room and found an additional $100,000 and two gold watches among other items.
Hussain said that the bandit then went to another room and encountered another niece who, in fear after he used a number of expletives, opened her drawer and he seized a diamond earring and jewellery. Then, putting a gun to her head, he demanded that they all go downstairs.
“He see me nephew who de hiding under the bed and tell we if he don’t come out he gon shoot meh niece and he drag he out and said he know where the boss man does got all the money”, Hussain noted.
She said that during the robbery her nephew who came from outside, opened the door and was hit in his head with a gun. “He fall to the floor and they put he with the rest of we and I hear we sister start holler fah help and they (the bandits) run through the front door”.
Hussain said that after the men left they started to scream for help but by the time neighbours rushed in the men had already made good their escape.
Stabroek News was made to understand by an eyewitness that the two men ran at a very fast pace before entering a car on Alexander Street which then sped off.
The family estimated their losses all together to be almost $4M.
