A Corentyne haberdasher says he was robbed of $2.5m at his residence on Monday night.
Akbar Ali, of Lot 16 G King Street, Belvedere, Corentyne, Berbice, told Stabroek News that he was in his room when he heard screaming and a strange voice, after which a masked man entered his room armed with a gun and demanded cash. Ali said that without hesitation he opened his safe and gave the bandit a total of $2.5M in cash.
Ali’s sister, Bibi Ali, who lives with her brother and other relatives explained that they had visitors and after the visitors left they were sitting on the verandah getting ready to lock up. She said they heard the dog barking at the back, leading them to decide to close the door, after which they saw a man jump from the step to the verandah. She said that the man she saw was not wearing a mask and he was armed with a gun and a knife. “He said don’t move, he get a gun and knife, we start to scream and run in the bedroom, he tell we don’t holler or he go shoot”, she said. She said that the bandits then proceeded to Akbar’s bedroom.
After neighbours heard the commotion, they phoned relatives and the police station. Bibi said that the ordeal lasted about three minutes. She also said that they ransacked drawers and stole her Plum cellular phone and $26,000 on their way out. According to neighbours, while two men were in the house committing the robbery, they saw three or four men standing downstairs.
One relative who was present when the media arrived voiced his concerns about the crime situation in Guyana. He said “people that live abroad feel scared to come to their own house and their own country” and “if them people na come here, this country gonna drop, cause this country depends on the foreign exchange”. The Canada-based Guyanese urged that the police force up their game in tackling crime.
An investigation has been launched into the robbery.
