Three bandits, two of whom were armed with guns, shot a Skeldon moneychanger while robbing him at Springlands, Corentyne, yesterday morning.
Mohamed Abdul Razack also known as ‘Azeem’, 44, of Lot 23 Eliza Avenue, Springlands, Upper Corentyne, explained that had he not fought off the armed bandits, he would have been shot in his face.
The man said he was on the Springlands Public Road, in front of the entrance to the backtrack route, a short distance away from the Springlands Police Station at around 5:25 am yesterday, when three men with hoods on, rushed to him.
“Me sit down on the concrete and these men them run into me and haul me one foot and me barely press the ground because me think if me get hit, me woulda shift out this hip replacement that me do,” he said. “The man take the gun and start lash me, all in me head and so and me scramble he hand and me twist he hand or he woulda ketch me in me face and when me twist the hand, the other two jump on me and start push them hand in me pocket and so,” he recounted.
Razack said that it was during the scramble that the bandit discharged a round which hit him in his right foot. He recalled that they kept demanding that he hand over “the money.”
According to the moneychanger, he started to scream for help but no one responded. “It had the bank security but nobody na come,” he said.
The bandits escaped with over $550,000 in Suriname and Guyana currencies.
Razack recalled that after being shot and robbed, he got up and started to walk towards the police station. “Me see one car and me beg he; that me just get rob if he can carry me to the station and when me go, them police take me and we drive round and see if we can see them,” he recounted.
The moneychanger was taken to the Skeldon Hospital where he was treated and sent away. “Them wrap me foot and na give me nothing and send me way and then I go a private doctor. He do it back and give me injection. He say the bullet pass through…and he order [an] x-ray for my head,” the man said.
Razack further explained that he would usually head out early every morning to ply his trade.
Other moneychangers, who also ply their trade in the area, said that it is a risky task. “We does come out early so people that come from town in case them want change money or buy money before them go over Suriname but you never know what can happen,” another Skeldon moneychanger said as he shook his head.
Meanwhile, it is unclear whether any suspects have yet been arrested since several calls to the police’s divisional commander and the crime chief went unanswered yesterday.
