Two gun-toting bandits yesterday afternoon robbed the owner and workers of Looknauth Lumber Yard of Coldingen, Industrial Estate, East Coast Demerara, of an undisclosed sum of cash, jewellery and cell phones before escaping on bicycles.
Reports reaching Stabroek News say that at least one shot was fired, however no one was wounded in the robbery.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, two workers of the establishment recounted their harrowing ordeal. “At about [16:35 hours] two [boys] come and hold up two workers and put gun pun one of them and carry both of them inside the office and tell one of the workers to call,” one female worker said.
“When the worker call, we come out because we thought was customers. I open the door and as soon as I open the door the boy just march and shoot [in the air]…and Mr. Looknauth, they hustle with he to get all the money from he. And Like he go fuh shoot again but like the bullet fall on the ground,” she said.
She said that she was robbed of three finger rings and said that the men had no masks on. One of the male workers recounted how he and another worker were pushed down to the ground.
Owner of the establishment Looknauth Prashad said that he and some other workers were packing up to go home when the bandits struck. “All me hear is one of the worker say fatman open the door. When [a female staff] got up and opened the door one of the [bandits] barged in and fired a shot [in the air]. He say pass the effing money. I give he the money and they start to chuck me up,” he said.
Prashad said that it was at this point that the man with the gun threatened to kill him. He said that the man took money, phone and rings from him. “He go to she and he start to rob she,” he said, referring to one of the female staff.
He said that he tried to follow them but they managed to escape. “I lost trace of them, so I went to the station and the Police come and the [found a spent shell and a live round],” he said. “It seems to me that he go to shoot me and the gun block,” said Prashad, explaining that the gun might have jammed.
The man said that the Police were prompt in their response and said that they were able to recover surveillance camera video footage which was said to have captured the men’s images.
Prashad said that he was robbed about three times between 2001 and 2002 during the period when his business was located in the compound of the Melanie cinema. He said that in 2006 he removed from that location to the Coldingen site because of concerns about his safety and that of his workers.
He said that while the enterprise is outfitted with security cameras, he has no guard on duty during the day. He said that he only has a night guard at the business.
