Two armed bandits on Thursday evening attacked a Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara supermarket and carted off over $400,000 in cash and valuables.
Commander of ‘C’ Division Calvin Brutus confirmed the robbery, which occurred around 7 pm at the A Wen Supermarket, located at Lot 15 Section ‘B,’ Non Pareil Public Road.
Stabroek News was told that the two bandits, including one armed with a handgun, entered the supermarket and held the owners, their two employees and about three customers who were present at gunpoint.
The supermarket is operated by Wen Xin Yan, 41 and his wife, Chen Gui Mei, 39. “They come in and watch around and then one of them tell we don’t move,” an employee said. She added that the men then emptied the cash register, which appeared to be their target.
During the attack, Wen was gun-butted to his head. He was later taken to the hospital for treatment as a result.
While the bandits were making their way out of the supermarket, they robbed one of the employees of a gold chain she was wearing. The men escaped on two bicycles.
The entire attack was caught on CCTVs which are installed at the supermarket.
Brutus told Stabroek News that one of the suspects is known to the police. He said the police yesterday conducted several checks for the suspect but came up empty-handed.
The bandits made good their escape with about $200,000 in cash, an iPhone valued $160,000, a
quantity of phone cards and the gold chain belonging to the employee.
The supermarket opened for business about four months ago. It is one of three branches that are located along the East Coast. The others are located at Vigilance and Lusignan.
