…at West Coast salon
By Ashraf Dabie

A mother of one was on Sunday afternoon trailed and eventually attacked by a pair of armed and unmasked bandits while conducting business on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD).
Bhavana Samtani is now left counting her losses which add up to approximately $900,000.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, Samtani, accompanied by her son, had just cashed a cheque at a bank in Parika, and while going about her business within the area, she was being tracked by the robbers.
Shortly after the woman boarded a bus destined for a salon in Meten-Meer-Zorg, WCD; upon arriving at her destination, Samtani was pounced upon by the armed men.
While speaking to this publication, the still shaken mother relayed that she had just made her way into the H&S Beauty Salon and while enquiring how long she may have to wait, the two men barged into the business establishment.
She told this newspaper that one of the men got down at her feet and started fumbling with her handbag.
“At first, I thought it was a prank,” explained the woman, but after glimpsing the man’s face, she quickly realised that she was being robbed.
Samtani went on to say that, “One of them was tugging on my bag and I wasn’t going to let loose. It wasn’t until he pulled out the gun that I let go.”
After being held at gunpoint by both of the men, fear for the lives of her son and others present in the salon at the time led the woman to surrender her handbag carrying about $800,000 cash, a Samsung Galaxy cellular phone, her Passport and other important documents as well as other valued possessions.
Clutching the stolen prize, the unmasked bandits then made good their escape in a dark grey Toyota Premio, heading in the direction of Georgetown.
The terrifying incident occurred around 13:30h and lasted for about five to seven minutes.
Samtani, in an attempt to recover her valuable documents, chased after the escaping robbers, but lost track of their vehicle a short distance away from the salon.
However, it was after launching a personal investigation that she realised she was being trailed all the way from Parika.
CCTV footage from a few stops along the way revealed the duo was tracing the woman’s every move following her transaction at the bank that afternoon. They were even seen stopping moderate distances away from the bus to enquire whether she and her son had disembarked the minibus.
However, while revisiting the market square at Parika, the woman was informed by vendors that the men were seen chasing after her. One vendor even relayed that when she asked what they were shopping, one of the men responded, “We are shopping guns.”
The CCTV footage managed to capture a clear shot of the two men while their car was also seen in the distance.
The suspects were described as both of African descent and were believed to be in their late 20s.
The CCTV footage, along with a detailed report of what had transpired, was handed over to the Police and as such, investigations are ongoing. However, ranks have not yet zoomed in on the suspects and as such, an arrest is yet to be made.