Armed bandits invaded a Liverpool, Corentyne, business on Wednesday evening and assaulted one of the owners and her son, leaving them both with injuries.
Sunderlall Ketwaroo, 59, of Lot 16 Liverpool Village, Corentyne, a farmer who operates a mini general store at his home with his wife, said she was at home with their son at the time of the attack.
He said they had decided against opening the shop on Wednesday since he left during the wee hours of the morning for the backdam while his relatives later left home to attend a funeral.
According to Ketwaroo, his relatives returned home around 6 pm and shortly after three men, all armed with guns, entered their yard through the back and launched an attack.
Ketwaroo related that the men rushed to his son first and immediately started to assault him with the gun, while another rushed to his wife and choked her. “One [of] them whisper, ‘Where is the money?’ So, she told them she go, go in the shop and what she get she go give them,” he noted.
He said two of the perpetrators then rushed into the shop and started to ransack the business, while one stood guard over his wife. “She start fight with he and she run out and start holla for neighbours and me neighbour on the other side is a policeman, he call the Whim Police Station and the police respond promptly,” he noted.
Ketwaroo said that neighbours then began to come out, which led to the perpetrators hurriedly escaping through the back. He said, “Them buss me son head and he forehead. He have three stitch and them drag am and them cuff am in he stomach and me wife them beat she with gun in she head and choke she and drag she.”
“I want them come when I’m at home. I want to face them, them only want to thief,” the angry man added yesterday, while noting that he has been robbed some four times in the area.
Since Ketwaroo’s shop was not opened on Wednesday, the men were only able to make off with $2,500, a quantity of cigarettes and a gold chain from his son. “In this crisis, you don’t sell $5,000 in the shop and I ain’t shame to tell you I had $2500 Guyana dollar them carry away and they take it in $20 and $50,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ketwaroo also voiced concern about crime in Guyana presently, while saying it warrants immediate attention and he called on the authorities to speedily issue firearms to business persons. “I want the government to know this and look at this now. I need a firearm to protect my family and I am begging. I have responsibility for rice lands, truck and other equipment, I am begging [Public Security Minister] Mr. [Khemraj] Ramjattan for a firearm to protect my family. If they can’t give me a firearm to protect my family, I might have to sell out everything I get and leave this country,” he declared.
He further noted that he was robbed while transacting business in Georgetown several months ago. “The crime situation right now is getting worse in this country,” he added.
Ketwaroo also called on citizens to speak out whenever they have knowledge about persons com-mitting crimes. “The crime is out of hand now and when people talk who is the person they want to victimise the people them but they have to talk to let the police investigate,” he said.
As of yesterday afternoon, no arrest had been made in connection with the robbery. However, a hat and cigarettes were found behind Ketwaroo’s back fence. A source suggested that the man had been waiting there to launch their attack on the family.
