Police are investigating a report that shots were fired around 3 am on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Port Mourant Market, Corentyne, Berbice, following which, a food vendor lost her haversack and valuables.
According to a police press release, preliminary investigation revealed that a 32-year-old female food vendor reported that a female customer alerted her to two suspicious men on a motorcycle outside the market shortly before the incident.
At approximately 3 am, the vendor told police, she heard two loud explosions resembling gunshots some distance away from the market. After the loud explosions she along with other vendors and customers observed two men on a black XR motorcycle entering the market area.
In fear, the vendor and others fled in various directions. The food vendor further reported that after the men left, she returned to find her grey haversack missing. In it was $50,000, a GBTI bank card, a Demerara bank card, an identification card, a gold chain valued at $120,000, and a Samsung cellphone worth $31,000. Others corroborated the report.
Police said that at the scene they discovered two spent 9 mm shells. Frustrated vendors expressed their anger over repeated attacks by armed bandits, recalling a recent incident where a colleague was charged after defending himself against robbers. Their colleague known as ‘Chicken Man’ had chopped one of the bandits in a robbery a few weeks ago and was charged.
According to the release, the vendors believe this is a travesty of justice and unfair to the vendors who are left without protection.
Police are making checks for the motorcycle bandits as investigations continue.
