The bandits who came under fire from a wounded victim on Saturday afternoon at Grove on the East Bank had done a reconnaissance of the area the day before, an eyewitness said.
When they launched their attack the following day, their target, a licensed firearm holder shot at them in self-defence killing one and seriously wounding another. In what could have been a scene straight out of an action-packed movie, the bloodied victim then picked up one of the motorbikes dropped by the bandits and chased after one of the fleeing attackers but was unable to catch him.
According to the eyewitness, the now dead bandit Michael Grant, 18, and his wounded accomplice Curtis Vasconcellos, both of Agricola, along with two others scrutinized the area on the previous day with the said motorcycles. Vasconcellos remains in a serious condition in the hospital.
The eyewitness said that he recalled seeing the four men on the said motorcycles loitering in the area. However, he noted that only three of the men returned to commit the robbery. Other villagers also observed the presence of the four young men in the area the previous day, he added.
On Saturday, the two motorcycles rode up and one of them created a road block by sitting on his bike in the centre of the road, the eyewitness said. The other two proceeded to rob Neezam Khan, not his brother, Imran Khan as was erroneously reported in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News.
The eyewitness related that the bandits fired at Khan’s vehicle which was parked in front of his yard even though the man had already exited and was in his yard. The gunshot at the businessman’s car was aimed to target the victim’s head, the witness said.
After the bandits realized that the vehicle was empty they pounced on Khan who was in front of his house and cornered him, with the gun to his head, where they relieved him of his jewellery. But after the armed man shot at Khan, the businessman slapped the weapon aside resulting in Khan just sustaining a bullet graze along his left arm.
When the gunman attempted to crank his gun in a bid to fire a second shot, Khan who was also armed, lashed out and fired at the robbers. The wounded men began to flee, one returning fire. The other, Grant, fell face down and was left sprawled on the ground.
When the motorcyclist who remained blocking the flow of traffic observed that his colleagues were badly injured, he sped off while attempting to collect the injured Vasconcellos who was bleeding profusely and vomiting blood at the time. Vasconcellos eventually got on the bike.
Khan started up the other motorbike which the bandits left behind and began to chase the two who were swerving on the road as they fled.
“He lucky, because although that man (Khan) hand bin a bleed, he start the motorbike and ride behind them, but he na bin a find the right gear and that is why he couldn’t ketch them up” the witness told Stabroek News.
At some point Vasconcellos came off or fell off the bike and was apprehended and taken to the hospital.
The police statement on Saturday had said that four men were involved in the armed robbery which occurred about 14:30hrs.
Neezam is the brother of businessman Imran Khan whose mining pit caved in near Mahdia recently, burying ten of his workmen.
