A family at Number Two Village, West Coast Berbice is still traumatized after six masked gunmen stormed their home and carted off nearly $300,000 worth of gold jewellery, $15,000, sneakers valued at $7,000 and a landline telephone.

Lakeram Baburam, 32, said it was around 11.05 pm a few nights ago while he was preparing to accompany an overseas-based uncle to the airport that he was confronted by the men.

 

Two of the men carried long guns which he thought were AK-47s, while another bandit was armed with a cutlass. Baburam recalled that he was sitting on a chair in the lower flat of the building eating. He had left the top half of the door open and the bandits seized the opportunity to enter the house.

A cutlass

One of them dealt him five lashes on the nape of the neck with the cutlass and he was then dragged upstairs. In the upper flat were his wife, Reshma Ramoutar, 30; his four children whose ages range from three to 12; his mother, Raywattie, 53; and an aunt.

He was ordered to lie face down while a bandit stood over him with a gun.

Two bandits demanded cash and jewellery from the others, while three kept guard in the yard.

Ramoutar said she was about to change for the airport trip when she heard loud tramping on the stairs and became frightened. She ran out of the room and screamed when she came face to face with the three bandits. She said they told her, "Police, don't move," but she ran into her mother-in-law's bedroom.

The men kept asking for money and jewellery, Ramoutar said, though she told them she did not have any. She said she tried to look at one of them in the face and he became angry and threatened to chop her neck.

Ramoutar said she was trembling and was unable to move and show the bandits where the jewellery was. However, they went into another bedroom, broke open the wardrobe and found the jewellery. They also ransacked the chest of drawers in the room.

All this time she was on the bed, clutching her four children.

Raywattie told this newspaper that she was asleep when she was awakened by Ramoutar's screams. She said she enquired what happened, then saw the men in her bedroom. She said when they asked her for money she told them that her husband had a stroke nine years ago and she did not have any money.

The bandits then compelled everyone, including the children to remove the jewellery they were wearing at the time.

Baburam, who operates a small shop, said after that one of the bandits picked up the shop key and put it in his pocket. They then dragged him back downstairs, opened the shop and asked him to show them where the money was.

He said he showed them a drawer that contained $15,000 but they were not satisfied. They saw a set of rubber bands and thought he had more money and demanded that he hand it over.

But Baburam said, "Me tell dem me does use the rubber band to tie bhagie [callaloo] to sell."

The men then fled in the direction of the seaside but they did not fire any shots.

Baburam recalled that just before the robbery took place he saw two men on the dam but he did not suspect they were bandits since the area is usually very safe. (Shabna Ullah)