Gangs of armed men robbed and brutalised two families on the Corentyne and the East Bank of Berbice at the start of the week and police have since held five men for questioning.
Investigators told Stabroek News that three persons had been taken into custody after an attack on Tuesday night at Johns, Corentyne, while two persons have been held in connection with an attack at the Glasgow Housing Scheme on the East Bank of Berbice on Monday night.
At around 11:30PM on Tuesday, a gang of ten men armed with guns and cutlasses robbed Dera Singh’s family of approximately $1.5M in cash, jewellery, and other valuables. Apart from being robbed, the family was brutalised by the robbers during the attack.
Singh said during the attack the bandits kept asking for “the overseas visitors,” referring to his brother-in-law and his wife, who had recently left his property.
Recalling the ordeal, which lasted for over 45 minutes, the still traumatised Singh, 38, called ‘Bull,’ stated that the gang invaded his premises after he and some others had finished unloading a container which he had shipped in from the United States.
Singh explained that one of his helpers had left but soon returned, screaming, “Thieves! Thieves!”
Singh said the man ran back to his premises and continued to sound the alarm but he was caught by the bandits, who silenced him. At this point, Singh explained he ran and hid under a tractor. From this vantage point, he saw six men with rags covering their faces enter his yard. He stated that all six men were armed with guns. Four other men stood guard outside the property.
According to Singh, the bandits soon spotted him and dragged him from his hiding place and started to demand cash and jewellery. He was taken into his kitchen and placed to lie face down as the men beat him about his body using an iron and their guns.
Singh then indicated that he had $762,000 in $5,000 notes in his pocket and he gave it to the men as he pleaded for his life. Singh’s jewellery was also handed over.
The bandits also attacked Singh’s elderly mother, Dularie Sewghair and took $1,000 she had in her possession. Being fearful for her life, Sewghair, who is in her 60s, later joined her daughter-in-law Kamalie Devi Khalicharran and escaped. The women jumped over six-foot-high fences and ran to safety.
Singh’s son Beeram and his pregnant wife, Sabita, were also assaulted by the bandits as they continued to demand cash and jewellery.
The family criticised the poor response of the police. Singh’s wife stated that from the time she ran to escape, she called and made a report at the Whim Police Station. She explained that she made approximately three telephone calls to the station but the police arrived after the robbery was carried out.
On Monday night, four bandits kicked down the door and barged into the home of a nurse and her family, who they robbed and brutalized at Glasgow Housing Scheme.
The still traumatised nurse, Virginia Persaud, 33, said the attack occurred around 10PM.
At that time, she, her two children and her 68-year-old father were in the house.
She said she was awakened by the sound of her car alarm going off. After they turned off the alarms, she said, her door began to rock heavily and within the blink of an eye the bandits entered into her home.
The men, who were armed with guns, threatened to kill the family unless they cooperated with them by handing over their cash, jewellery and any other valuables.
Persaud and her family complied with the men’s demands but the attackers still beat them. The men also fired off a single shot to scare off any attempts to help. Persaud’s father tried to attack the men with his cutlass but his efforts were in vain.
Eventually an alarm was sounded and the bandits escaped. Persaud and her family were then immediately rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital for treatment.
