A Corriverton man is now dead after a brutal beating at the hands of armed bandits, who invaded his family’s home and battered him and his elderly mother on Sunday night.
Outar Ramphal, 50, of Lot 54 Princeton, Corriverton, Berbice was pronounced dead on arrival at the Skeldon Hospital, where he was taken after the attack. His mother, Champwattie Ramphal, 74, was also taken to the hospital for treatment owing to the injuries she received in the attack.
Outar was left lying in a pool of blood after the bandits left, according to his mother. He sustained three chops to his head and one to his back, while she received a gouge below her chin and several cuts on her hands.
Although police said that nothing was reported to have been taken, Stabroek News was told that $35,000, a finger ring and a pair of boots were taken in the attack, which was carried out by four men who were armed with guns and blades. However, since the family is poor, police are said to be exploring other motives for the attack apart from robbery and a relative of the deceased was taken into custody to aid the investigation.
“Sometimes neighbours give me food… I am a pensioner and my son receives public assistance… we are very poor people. Why would people do this to us?” Champwattie questioned with tears streaming from her eyes yesterday.
The elderly woman recounted that she was sleeping when the bandits attacked.
As a result, she was in state of shock when the men dragged her out from her bed. “But I tried to resist,” she said.
The grieving woman said the men threatened to kill her great grandson, who was sleeping with her on the same bed. However, she pleaded with them to spare the child’s life. “They placed a knife on his neck,” she stated.
She told her attackers, who were armed with a cutlass, that she did not have any valuables. Nonetheless, she said, they began to beat her then gagged her mouth, then tied her hands and her feet. “I saw them had a lil cutlass and they asking whey the money deh! Whey the money deh!” she added.
While she was being beaten, Champwattie said two other bandits were attacking her son outside in the living room, where he was sleeping at the time they invaded. She heard the men viciously beating her son and demanding money. ”If you heard how they were beating him, he couldn’t ah say anything… now he is dead,” she sobbed.
Champwattie said she was eventually able to free herself and went downstairs to summon help but she was unsuccessful. “I called for the neighbours but nobody heard me…,” she said. However, a few moments later, at around 1 am, her grandson returned home and she related to him what had occurred. The man, who had been out celebrating his birthday, summoned help and rushed his unconscious uncle to the hospital.
Yesterday, the Ramphal family was cleaning up the ransacked house while relatives and friends were making preparations for wake to be held in memory of Outar.
During a tour of the house, this newspaper observed blood spattered on the walls and chairs. The family also removed a quantity of clothing that was bloodstained.
Outar is survived by his mother and two siblings.
