A child care officer is now traumatized after she was wounded by a knife-wielding bandit who attempted to rob her of her handbag on Tuesday morning in Albouystown, Georgetown.
Robeena Zaman yesterday told Stabroek News that the incident occurred around 7.20 am while she was on her way to work.
Zaman, who is stationed at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara said that on some days her husband would take her to work while on others she would use public transportation.
She sustained gashes to her face and upper lip and cuts to her left hand which she had used to bar her attacker’s knife. She said she has since received several stitches to the wounds.
Commander of Region 4(A) Edgar Thomas yesterday told Stabroek News that a report was made to the police and an investigation has since been launched. No arrest has yet been made.
Zaman explained that on Tuesday morning, she was walking towards the La Penitence Public Road and while in the vicinity of Punt Trench Dam and Barr Street she noticed a “youth” on a bicycle but ignored him and continued her journey.
“I was walking out to the public road at La Penitence to catch a car to go to the stelling. So at the corner of Punt Trench Dam and Barr Street… I saw this youth at the corner there and he playing he music on a boom boom box and he just being himself combing up he hair and I just ignore him and I walk,” Zaman said.
She said shortly after, she was attacked by the said youth who attempted to snatch her handbag.
However, Zaman said she resisted during which the teen whipped out a “Rambo” knife and attempted to stab her. “…Like 50 footsteps I made away from him, he just rush and pounced on me. He scrambled my bag. Well my bag was in my right hand. So he scramble onto the bag and he tug at it twice and I held onto the bag and I reason why I held on because yesterday (Tuesday) I had some money that I was going to help a poor family down in Parika and this money that I have begged for to help the family, so it is valuable to me. After he tugged twice and I didn’t release, he just rip out a Rambo knife from his waist and he made the motion to like, to like stab me,” Zaman related.
She said during the attack, the knife got tangled in her hijab but the bandit managed to pull it out and proceed to slash her to her face. She said she raised her left hand in a bid to bar the blows and sustained cuts to her fingers.
“…He continue slashing at me and then another one connect to my top lip and after repeated motions of you know, slashing, he got me down to my cheek. That one was deep and then the blood start spewing out and by God will he release and he ran away,” Zaman said.
Zaman further related that at the time of the attack, persons were around but no one rendered any assistance. It wasn’t until she pleaded for help, she said a couple came to her aid.
“…There were people who witnessed what was happening. Nobody shouted at him, nobody come to my help. After he ran away and I cry out for help then a husband and wife came out because I was traumatized, nervous and everything and they helped me,” she said.
Zaman said she telephoned her husband who arrived and took her to the Ruimveldt Police Station where the matter was reported. She said she was sent to seek medical attention and asked to return to police station.
“The police said that they will call me when they pick up this person,” Zaman said. Up to yesterday afternoon, she said she had received no word.
Zaman explained that she would normally use the route on a regular basis but has never seen the suspect around. “…After the attack there were people who said they know him. There was a man who said he would be on that corner and he would pounce on people and rob them but this is the first known time he was so violent to harm me,” she said.
Zaman noted that she has been living in the community for about eight years and this is the first incident of such a nature she had ever experienced.
“I am not from here. I come here, I am living here. I believe that I was accepted because honestly nobody ever hurl insult or made me feel uncomfortable living here and this is the first time that such an event would have happened,” Zaman said.