A Leeds Village, Corentyne family was robbed of millions in cash, jewellery and other items last Wednesday, when their home was burglarised.
Several persons from the village have since been taken into police custody to assist with the investigation into the multi-million dollar burglary, which occurred sometime after 8 am and before 5.30 pm at the Lot 10 ‘C’ Leeds Village Corentyne, Berbice residence.
At the time, pensioner Downadan (only name), 70, and his family hadleft their home to visit a relative at Albion.
He told Stabroek News that he and his wife Seetasha along with his son Chanderpaul and daughter-in-law Shaneeza went to visit his daughter at Albion and they spent the entire day at her. When they returned home around 5.30 pm, he said, they did not notice anything amiss until his wife went to the upper-flat of the two-storey house and found her bedroom ransacked.
According to Downadan, the lock on their wardrobe was broken, clothing was seen strewn across the room and missing was the steel chest in which he and his wife stored their valuables. Among the items that were stored in the chest was jewellery, estimated to be worth over $1 million, US$1,000, Cdn$500 and over $250,000.
Downadan said it was a very heavy chest and would have taken more than three adults to lift it.
Additionally, Shaneeza said she and her husband were robbed as well. The woman said she and her husband lost $50,000, over $1 million in gold and diamond jewellery, a digital camera, a Samsung cellular phone, cosmetics, watches and clothing.
In total, they estimate their loss to be somewhere close to $5 million.
Asked how the burglars gained entry into the house, Downadan said a window on the bottom flat of the home was found open. They also found a bent iron pipe, which they believed the bandits might have used to try to open the chest.
It is the first time Downadan and his family have been robbed and he indicated that there was no suspect. However, he said they were tipped off by an anonymous caller that a neighbour, who was seen in the yard on Wednesday, might have been involved in the robbery.
