A gang of armed bandits raided a Berbice River trader of over $1 million in supplies, including large amounts of fuel, in a pre-dawn attack last Friday.
Randy Gladstone, who sells groceries and other items from his boat in the Berbice River, was docked for the night in Henry Tata District. He said sometime around 3 am on Friday morning, five men approached in a speed boat and claimed that they wanted to purchase gasoline from him.
A hesitant Gladstone told this newspaper that he did not believe the men and he alerted his daughter and a workman, who were aboard at the time.
The man’s daughter, Rochelle Gladstone, was fast asleep in a lower compartment when she heard her father’s screams. “I hear my father saying, ‘Bandits! Bandits!’ So, I get up and run go upstairs. He [her father] was trying to open the door because at first they say they come buy gasoline but then he said is bandits and close back the door,” she recalled, while noting that her father then told her to hide.
The bandits, most of whom were armed with guns, raided the boat and carted off large amounts of gasoline and diesel, some $250,000 in cash, batteries, torchlights, cell phones, and other items.
Stabroek News was told that the attack was reported to the police, who are expected to travel to the remote area to conduct an investigation.
