As Anita Baichan burned to death in a fire set by robbers who had invaded her Hope, West Coast Berbice home early Sunday morning, her son could only watch on helplessly.
Baichan, 49, had been bound and gagged by the two bandits who had brutalised both her and her son, Moshim Khan, 22, during a robbery that lasted for more than hour.
Six persons have since been held by police in connection with the attack. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed yesterday that six persons were picked up from the surrounding area and were assisting with investigations.
Khan, who has been traumatised by the events, recounted the brutal attack to Stabroek News yesterday.
“We beg and beg, brother. We beg for them to stop but they continue to beat us and demand for more cash and jewellery and we seh we ain’t got none, we poor but they ain’t listen and they just continue beating us,” Khan recalled. He said he fainted about four times during the ordeal.
The attack began around 2.30am, when Baichan and Khan were awakened by the two bandits. After the two men brutalised them, they tied them up and set the house on fire before escaping. While Khan was able to roll out of the house and untie himself, he was unable to save his mother.
Khan said they had each gone to bed around 9pm. “I was in bed in my bedroom trying to sleep and I didn’t hear anything or anyone come inside or up the step or anything,” Khan said.
He added that while he was on his bed, he felt someone poke him at his side with a finger but he did not take it seriously since he thought it was his mother trying to wake him. “After I felt the poke, I turned and all I feel was something hit me in my face hard. And, when I turn again, I feel two chops to my sides and when I try to get up and block it I feel one straight to my hand,” he said.
According to Khan, after he suffered the chops, the bandit threw him to the ground, restrained his hands with clothes and started to beat him. Khan said he heard his mother screaming as her room was being ransacked.
After the bandit continued to beat Khan on the ground, he started demanding cash and jewellery. Khan then pointed him to a laptop that was next to the bed. “I told him to take the laptop and he pick it up and lash me to my head with it and seh he ain’t want it,” he recalled.
Shortly after, the bandit dragged him to the living room, where he encountered the other bandit and his mother, who was on the ground. He said they started to stomp on his mother and continued beating him while they demanded cash and jewellery.
‘More’
Khan said they gave the men some cash that was in the wardrobe but they demanded more. When the mother and son were unable to meet their demand, the bandits began to search and they would deal blows to the two for any money or jewellery they found.
“Every time we talked and said we don’t have any more, they would continue to beat us and demand more cash,” he said. He added that the men figured out that they weren’t going to get anything else and bound them using duct tape.
After they restrained the two, they continued to beat them and demanded more, Khan noted. “They continue beating we and we shaking our heads saying no, ’cause we couldn’t talk,” he added.
Khan said after the two bandits finished beating them, they threatened to set the house on fire. “They seh they will set the house on fire and I beg them even more. I kiss them feet but they seh that’s just how they does do they job and even ask me to join them but when I said no they start beat me more,” he said.
After the two bandits went downstairs, a few minutes later Khan said he started feeling heat emanating from the lower flat and he quickly removed the duct tape from his mouth then his mouth. He said he couldn’t get the ones off of his hand or feet so he decided to crawl towards the door.
Stabroek News was told that the house was in complete darkness because the two bandits unscrewed all the light bulbs before leaving. “I had two bikes downstairs and so I hear them throw it over the gate and I thought they was gone so I crawl towards the door told and I told her [Baichan] to follow me and she seh yes,” the still traumatised man stated.
He said after he rolled down the flight of stairs, he lost track of his mother. After he reached the bottom of the stairs, he added, he ran towards the corner of the wall and grazed his tied hands in a bid to remove the duct tape. After he was able to free his hands and feet, he said he rushed to the kitchen, where the fire had started, to throw away the gas bottle to prevent any explosion. The already dire situation worsened after Khan realized he had not seen his mother downstairs with him. He said that after he noticed she had not followed, he rushed to the stairs only to be greeted with intense flames engulfing the staircase.
Khan was unable to run back up the stairs to try to rescue his mother and started screaming for help. “I couldn’t do anything. The fire even ketch me and I had to roll around on the ground to put it out,” he added.
Khan broke down in tears as he recalled hearing his mother screaming from the pain of the fire for more than 30 seconds and all he could have done was stand outside, barred by the blazing fire, and listen as her screams slowly faded. “It was too big for the neighbours to help with. It was too big for anybody to do anything,” he said.
A neighbour, who was awakened by all of the commotion and rushed to the scene, related the experience that has still left her in shock. She said she heard Khan screaming to rush to the house that was already in flames. “He seh mommy still in there and she will burn so we gotta do something but we couldn’t do anything. It was too much flames,” the woman said, while adding that Khan, who was bleeding from all of the chop wounds, refused to leave the site.
Stabroek News was told that the two bandits had used gasoline to set the house on fire before escaping with Khan’s two bicycles. A source said that two persons who were seen with one of the bicycles were arrested yesterday morning.
Sources say the police are examining various theories in relation to the attack. One of the six persons held yesterday is someone who had been in a relationship with a relative of the deceased.
