Four men are now in custody after a gang broke into a Seawell, East Coast Berbice home yesterday morning and proceeded to brutalise and rob a family, which has been left traumatised.
The perpetrators made their escape with $100,000 in cash, approximately $150,000 in jewellery and a tablet. However, police subsequently arrested the four persons in connection with the robbery.
According to Comman-der of ‘B’ Division Ian Amsterdam, investigators believe the gang of thieves is from the Canje area and is headed by a notorious criminal who was just recently released from prison.
Deoram Woarti, 47, of Lot 2 Seawell, East Coast Berbice, told Stabroek News, that it was around 3 am yesterday when the men launched their attack. He said he was awakened by the sound of someone walking on the shed in front of his house.
The man, who sleeps in the downstairs apartment while his two sons sleep upstairs, said he next heard glass breaking and people running in the house upstairs. He said, “Me hear me big son start to holla, ‘ow ayo na do me nothing, ayo na beat me.’ Then me hear one gunshot fire. Them ask he put on the light and a push the second room door, where me small son seh he been a brace the room door but after he hear the gunshot he realized that them get gun, he loose it and them drag he and bring he to the hall.
“Them ask me son where them money and gold and a lash them boys with a 4×4 and cutlass.”
Three of the six perpetrators who carried out the attack were each armed with a gun each, while two were armed with cutlasses and one carried a piece of 4×4 wood.
According to Woarti, his sons informed the men that their father was sleeping downstairs, where everything was. “Me open the back door and call on me neighbour, but me na run get away or them would a beat me sons more,” he said.
“Them come down and tell me bring out all the money, me tell them ‘look whatever me get I gone give, ayo na do abie nothing,” he added.
Woarti recalled that the men were masked but still ordered him not to look them in their faces. He then said, “Me open the wardrobe and take the bag where me get $100,000 and them tell me that can’t be all the money me get.”
He said one bandit then ransacked the bedroom, while another raided the kitchen and another ransacked the living room. The man and his two sons, ages 21 and 19, sustained injuries about their bodies after they were hit multiple times with the piece of wood. According to Woarti, after he handed over the money and jewellery, one bandit who was the lookout on the road, started to yell, “Bullow, Bullow.” He said when the men heard, “Bullow,” they began to run in order to make an escape.
“One bandit told the other, ‘police, police, run out,’” he added.
Once then men started to run, Woarti and his sons grabbed knives and began to chase after them. “One been deh pon the shed all the time, when he put he foot on the fence to come down me son go to grabble he foot, but then me see he hand and he had a gun so me tell me son run back, run he get gun,” he recounted.
According to neighbours, while the perpetrators were running, they said, “Oh ayo a come” and started to discharge rounds in the air.
Amsterdam told Stabroek News that two shells were found on the road, while a pair of gloves was found at the back in the Savannah, through where the bandits made their escape. According to Amsterdam, the shells found match an AK-47 or an M-70 rifle. He divulged that they have noticed a change in robberies in Berbice. He explained that while robberies used to happen in the night, they are now happening in the early hours of the morning. He also noted that most of the time the perpetrators are masked, which suggests that they are from the same area as their victims. He said the police have ideas how the groups are operating and are working on evidence to link the suspects to the crimes committed.
