Over 20 years ago, Ecliffe Cooblall started out on a journey delivering the Stabroek News to homes and offices over those years, in his own words, he has met “a lot important people, people who I could talk to”. He knew that one day he would have to hang up his delivery gloves, but he never imagined that he would be forced into making that decision.
But on February 16, when he was robbed for the third time, which included him being beaten with a gun and the bandits stealing his motorcycle, Cooblall said enough.
“I had a talk with my family overseas, my sisters and my daughter and they say is me alone here and I getting big, you know. So, they said I should stop. I know I had to stop someday because I was getting big so I just say let me stop now because the fourth time I might dead,” he told The Weekend recently.
The 56-year-old is employed with Guyana Publications Inc as an office assistant and supplemented his income by delivering the Stabroek News, but as he puts it, “money is not all”.
He shared that it was shortly after he started to work with the company that he launched into the delivery of newspapers, using a bicycle at the time; he later purchased a motorcycle.
“And it was okay. I used to deliver every day to most of the government places on Brickdam, other public and private places. I started at one area on Brickdam but then I increase to Alexander Village, then D’Urban Street, South… all those places. I used to deliver about 400 and something newspaper every day,” he said.
Every morning, he left his house around 3 am and returned just around 5 am. The first robbery occurred just as he returned home one morning when two gun-toting bandits pounced on him. He believed they had trailed him.
“They stick me up and carry me in the house. I was frightened bad. They search up the house and they take whatever they want. I used to wear some jewelry and they take that too. They lash me in me head with a gun. I remember it good, it was a Sunday morning,” he said.
He made a report to the police as the bandits had even robbed him of his wedding band. No one was ever arrested, and Cooblall said he attempted to return to his normal routine and still delivered the newspaper.
About a year and a half later, bandits struck again. This time, Cooblall was leaving his home when two men sprung on him as he left the yard. He felt they knew his routine and had been waiting for him to leave the house. They also knew he was living alone and once again he was forced back into his home.
“They asking me for things and I tell them I had jewellery, but I get rob and they put me to lie down and put a pillow over me head and said they would shoot me. They were cursing and all kind of thing. They tell me also that me daughter [his daughter lives overseas] will mind me. They didn’t take much but they carry the motorcycle. But it fall down and wouldn’t start, and they leave it on the road,” he said.
The matter was again reported but the police did not find the bandits. Fearing for his safety, Cooblall said, he spoke to management of the Guyana Publications Inc and it was arranged that a car would pick him up at 3 am instead of him having to journey to the office alone.
He continued his delivery business until February 16, when he robbed and beaten by three bandits while delivering newspapers in D’Urban Backlands. The bandits waylaid him and lashed him to the head, and he sustained an injury underneath one of his eyes. He was lashed a few more times and they robbed him everything he had in his possession, inclusive of his motorcycle, cellular phone, wallet, cash and all his important documents.
“One a them say to shoot me but the other one say no, and I get a strong feeling like he know me because of how he talk,” he said.
Again, he reported the matter and the police said they are investigating but no arrest has been made even though Cooblall said he has received reports of persons riding the motorcycle which has been stripped of some parts.
The third robbery was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and after a conversation with his relatives it was decided that he would stop delivering newspapers as guns were used in all the robberies and the fourth time he might not be so lucky.
“It does only take one bullet to kill you, not three and four,” he commented.
“I feel sad that I had to stop like that. Over the years, I meet a lot of people, high people. Police, government, ordinary people, doctors and lawyers. I went and tell them I am stopping because I had customers for over 15 years, and they tell me I am big now and it is what I decide…,” he further said.
But even though he has stopped, he still wakes up like clockwork although he now has nowhere to go at 3 am.
“I would just lie down and relax and go back to sleep and then wake up a little later and do some chores around the house,” he said.
He said while he knew he had to stop one day he would have preferred to do it on his terms.
“I used to go through the rain and the flood to deliver papers and people say they miss me because sometimes before 5 am I done work and they get their papers very early. The only time I carry papers late is if Stabroek News [prints them late],” he said.
“But I decided to hang up me gloves. Some people say I could have fight back, but fight back with gun? It is three times, I can’t wait for a fourth time,” he said.
He is sad but said his safety is paramount.
