Injured Andrea Sukhwa

– finger severed during attack

Police are searching for two armed bandits who pounced on Andre Sukhwa, a supervisor attached to Bakewell at Palmyra Village, Corentyne, Berbice, which also left him with a missing finger.

According to reports, bandits on Saturday evening attacked and robbed Sukhwa, who had just minutes before returned to the company’s bond. The incident took place sometime around 18:30h.

According to Sukhwa, he was preparing to enter his car when two armed bandits attacked him. He explained he was at the door when the men approached and chopped him several places about his body. He was also relieved of some $80,000.

“When I turn around I see these two men right up to me, one had a gun and one had a cutlass. The one start to fire chops and the next one say he gon shoot.”

Sukhwa, recounting the ordeal, said several chops were fired in his direction, the first one connecting to his right hand.

“And he continuing firing and I put up my hand to bar the chops because is my head he start aiming for and he catch me on this hand.”

The supervisor received two chops to his left hand, one leaving a finger hanging by the skin and the other to the back of his wrist.

Sukhwa explained that while he was defending himself against the cutlass-wielding bandit, the other one went into the car and searched.

“He searched till he find the wallet with $80,000 which was personal money and they take it.”

Sukhwa said the bandits entered from the gate, which was opened at the time and walked past the guard. He later managed to alert a fellow employee, who took him to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Meanwhile the security guard who was on duty at the time told Guyana Times he had opened the gate for Sukhwa to drive out. According to him the men approached the gate and made their way straight to the supervisor.

“I couldn’t do anything when they start chopping… I start hollering but no neighbours aint come out.”

The Bakewell Palmyra bond has no telephones and the guard has no cellular phone.

The company built and moved to that location about a month ago after being at a rented location in the same community for several years.

Police are investigating the incident.

A Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo resident is now nursing a gunshot injury to his head following an attempted robbery on Sunday evening.

Ram Singh

Ram Singh, 53, of Lot 1985 Light Street, was shot to his head by a lone gunman, while two accomplices were seen standing in front of the house.

According to information reaching this newspaper, Timothy Singh, the injured man’s son went to lock their gate when the gunman pounced on him.

This newspaper was told that a relative, who was in the yard, realise what was happening and raised an alarm. Singh reportedly went to his son’s rescue but instead was shot to the head by the gunman.

Reports are that after shooting Singh, the gunman dropped a haversack he was carrying made good his escape with two men who were waiting a short distance away.

Singh was picked up and rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was treated and referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further medical attention.

The injured man’s son told his newspaper that at about 21:30h as he was locking the gate, the gunman walked up to him and placed the gun to his head.

The young Singh said the man was wearing a mask so he can not recognise him. He said by this time, a relative began screaming and his father rushed to his assistance.

“My father tell he, ‘shoot nah, shoot, me nah frighten all yuh’, and the bandit then pulled the trigger and shot him”, the son stated.

He noted that his father fell to the ground and family and other residents rushed to his assistance.

According to the son, after the bandit escaped, they checked his bag which he had left behind but it was empty.

This is the fourth time the family has been attacked. Two months ago, they found a man in the house as he was attempting to pack valuables but he ran away.

He was subsequently arrested and handed over to the police.

Another time, bandits escaped with a quantity of cash. One man was arrested but was never charged.
Meanwhile, the police have launched an investigation.

One of the three bandits apprehended at De Hoop, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, following a robbery committed on a Mahaicony business, is wanted in connection with the murder of Shevon Gordon; a businesswoman who was gunned down during a robbery at Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) in April.

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that initially the man had submitted an incorrect name to the Police but subsequently gave his correct name. Upon doing so, the Police searched its data base and found he was wanted for the murder of the businesswoman.

It was reported that on the night of the shooting incident, Gordon and her husband had just returned home and were in the process of entering their premises while in their vehicle, when they were confronted by the two armed men.

The men demanded a bag with cash that Gordon had in her possession but she resisted and was shot about her body. The men then took the bag and fled the scene on foot.

The woman’s husband and son pursued the bandits and her son managed to catch up with the men and a scuffle ensued. During the altercation, the young man was shot to his left thigh. The men then made good their escape with the money. Shevon Gordon and her son were taken to the Mackenzie Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

However, Crime Chief stated that the man might be involved in other robberies and will be placed on an identification parade shortly.

Meanwhile, giving an account of what transpired on Wednesday, the businesswoman who was attacked in the Mahaicony robbery, Lakranie Singh, told Guyana Times that on the day in question the four men passed her sitting outside of the business place.

“Three of them had on black and from the time they pass me I see they put they hands into their pockets and pull out white gloves and put it on their hands.” Singh explained that the sales clerk was held at gunpoint and taken into the supermarket and ordered to lie on the floor.

“They then went to the cashier and tell he that they want the money and everything that he had. They take everything, phone, money, phone card, Brazilian jewellery… When they finish the one at the side was asking me who is the boss and I said I don’t know where the boss was and he start to hit me in my face and we had a scuffle because he did not have a gun so I hit him back.”

Singh noted that two of the three men were carrying firearms and they took what they needed from the supermarket, along with the keys to the upper flat which was under the cashier’s counter. She further related that the men spent more than an hour ransacking the house searching for cash and jewellery.

As they were leaving, one of the men removed the DVR Player containing the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage. Nevertheless, one of the men remained in the upper flat of the house and it was only after an alarm was raised that he panicked and escaped through a back door.

The men used the family’s Toyota car to flee but were soon perused by a member of the family who was on his was home and saw his car speeding down the road. Other residents were also in hot pursuit, resulting in the driver of the getaway car losing control of the vehicle, turning it turtle in the backlands of Fairfield Village. The bandits escaped on foot.

Member of the Community Policing Group were able to capture one of the men before night fall and handed him over to the Police, while the other two were spotted as they attempted to get on to the public road. They were chased but went into hiding. On the following day, the search continued during which a wet belt and other pieces of evidence were found.

As the search intensified, one of the men was seen hiding in a clump of bushes and was apprehended. They eventually decided to set the bush on fire, resulting in the third suspect revealing himself as he ran to safety. The Police are still hunting the fourth suspect.

The owner of Street Styles, Carl Innis was on Saturday evening shot and injured during a robbery at his store in Kitty, Georgetown.
Innis was reportedly shot to one of his knees and slashed to the face. Up to press time, he was undergoing emergency surgery.
According to information received, two men entered the store at about 18:30h under the pretence of making a purchase. As they looked around the store, one of them walked up to the businessman and held him at gunpoint but he reportedly put up a fight.
One of the men reportedly whipped out a knife and slashed him to the face and relieved him of the jewellery he was wearing. It is unclear if the perpetrators took any money from the businessman or the store.
A close friend of the businessman told Guyana Times that he received the call and immediately rushed to the hospital, but by the time he arrived, Innis was already in theatre undergoing surgery.
The details surrounding the shooting are still unclear but the Police have launched an investigation.

A resident of Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, is frustrated over the tardy action of Police as he along with neighbours continue to be victims of an apparent robbery spree in the area.
Jeffery Prag a taxi service owner, said he is frustrated with the attitude of the ranks at Providence Police Station who are investigating a break and enter at his home which occurred over a week ago.
The Lot 1358 Eccles Housing Scheme resident told Guyana Times that on Saturday last he returned home just before 01:00h and went to check on his son but fell asleep in the room. Prag said he woke up the following morning around 07:20h dazed as though he was drugged. He noted that this was strange since he usually gets up at 04:00h but he did not hear his alarm, which is usually loud enough to be heard from the lower flat of his two-storey house.
This prompted the man to check his house: “As soon as I go down the stairs to the bottom flat, I observe the backdoor opened, the kitchen window opened, curtains on the floor, no table cloth and the two desks where I had all of my documents for the week, papers for the house and my drivers’ salary were out of draw and the whole place was ransacked. All the draws were on the ground,” he stated.
Among the items missing were two laptop computers, several flash drives, two pairs of Clarks footwear and $400,000 cash. The man said his car keys were also missing but he found it later that day on the dumpsite road along with the table cloth.
Prag related that he reported the matter to the Providence Station, where a detective took his basic information and then he transported her to his residence. While there, he said the officer took notes but no statements, and he was told that she would contact him to return to the station on Monday.
Additionally, he disclosed that the Police were supposed to conduct a raid at a house in Providence the same day but when he contacted the detective, he was told that the raid would be done on Monday instead and he would be contacted. No contact has been made since, he said.
Furthermore, the man revealed that on two occasions on Sunday he returned home to find traces of “fresh” foot and hand prints in his yard but could never get a response from Police. The taxi driver went on to say that on Wednesday morning, he returned home moments after leaving because a pick-up work had cancelled.
Upon his arrival, he found a strange man in his neighbour’s yard where construction works were stalled at the time. Prag questioned the man about his cause for being there and after getting no satisfactory response, he took him to the Station.
He added that statements were taken from him and another man who was present when he caught the suspect. Prag said the suspect had keys to a room in Leopold Street but had given his address as Sophia. The man said he offered to transport the Police to check the location but was told no ranks were available, although three of them were just sitting around.
According to Prag, later that day he was informed by the officers that they had no reason to keep the man in custody. He added that sometime around 02:00h Thursday morning, he saw the man walking along the dumpsite road.
Prag pointed out that at least two persons in his street were robbed prior to his house being burglarised and the suspect seen roaming around in the area on a regularly. He further mentioned that the same day he was robbed, another house in the street was also raided.
The frustrated man is calling on the authorities to ensure that residents and their properties are protected.

A minibus driver is now being nursed for a gunshot wound to his left shoulder following a robbery in the vicinity of Flour Mill Road, Eccles, East Bank Demerara on Saturday at about 11:45h.
The injured man has been identified as Feroze Ghanie, 48, of Ruby, East Bank Essequibo. He was admitted at the Georgetown Public Hospital and was listed as stable.
Based on information, Ghanie was shot after two men held up the minibus he was driving and robbed the conductor, Raphael Ghanie and a passenger, Dhanmattie Ramana.
Police investigations revealed that two men boarded the minibus at Parika and as the bus approached the Flour Mill Road, they requested to disembark.
As the minibus stopped as requested, one of the men who was armed with a hand gun held up the conductor and the passenger and relived them of $21,000. Upon seeing this, the driver attempted to drive away but was shot to the shoulder.
The two men then escaped. The Police have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Only last month, Karim Shivrattan, 17, of Lot 14 Public Road, Agricola, was shot to  his chest during an attempt to prevent a robbery being committed on passengers in a minibus at Agricola, Georgetown on Monday morning.
According to the Police, the young man went to the assistance of two women who were being robbed at gunpoint by two men, one of whom was armed with a gun.
Based on reports, the two bandits had joined the minibus at Diamond, East Bank Demerara and upon reaching Agricola, requested to get off. As the vehicle stopped, the two men held up Natasha Rampersaud, 33, and Lalita Narine, 53, both of Diamond Housing Scheme.
They reportedly relieved the women of their jewellery. Upon realising what was happening, young Shivrattan went to the assistance of the women but was shot. He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remains in a stable condition. The two perpetrators made good their escape.

A first-year University of Guyana student was shot to his chest during an attempt to prevent a robbery being committed on passengers in a minibus at Agricola, Greater Georgetown on Monday morning.

The teenager, Karim Shivrattan, 17, of Lot 14 Public Road, Agricola, was shot once about 08:20h and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted. According to the Police, the young man went to the assistance of two women who were being robbed at gunpoint by two men, one of whom was armed with a gun.

Based on reports received, the two bandits had joined a minibus at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and upon reaching Agricola, they requested to get off. As the vehicle stopped, the two men held up Natasha Rampersaud, 33, and Lalita Narine, 53, both of Diamond Housing Scheme.

They reportedly relieved the women of their jewellery. Upon realising what was happening, the young man went to the assistance of the women and was shot. He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remains in stable condition. The two perpetrators made good their escape.

When contact was made with the relatives of the injured teen, his grandmother in tears stated that her grandson was about to head out to classes when the incident occurred. She explained that Shivrattan’s father would normally drop him off at classes, so he asked the young man to open the gate so that he could drive the vehicle out of the yard.

Unclear

As he walked to the gate, she stated, the minibus stopped on the roadway to put off passengers, but he did not pay heed to who was disembarking and continued to open the gate. After opening the gate, he went onto the parapet and it was at this time the incident occurred.

The grandmother stated that she did not know the circumstances surrounding the shooting and was not sure if he went to assist the two women who were robbed. The Police subsequently visited the home to enquire what had occurred.

Ranks are still to make an arrest, but the description of the two men was given to Police. Of recent, there have been a number of robberies committed on passengers in minibuses in the Agricola area.

In July, Sharon Baldeo, 42, of Section C Golden Grove, EBD was shot to her legs following a robbery in the vicinity of the Flour Mill Road, Eccles, EBD. She was a passenger of a Route 42 minibus.

It was reported that Baldeo and her daughter were on their way to Georgetown and the suspect who was sitting in the back seat of the minibus asked to be put off at Flour Mill Road, Eccles.

As he disembarked the minibus, he reportedly grabbed Baldeo’s hand bag containing $245,000, an iPhone and personal documents, but she put up a fight.

In retaliation, the man whipped out a gun that he had in his pocket and discharged about three rounds hitting the woman in her legs. He then made good his escape on foot through the Flour Mill Road.

A 57-year-old man has been hospitalised after he was shot while attempting to escape two armed men who confronted him in front of his house. The incident occurred sometime around 03:35h on Wednesday at Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Patrick Ross sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

According to reports, Ross was entering his premises when he was confronted by two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm.

The man raised an alarm and made an effort to get into his home during which the men opened fire on him, hitting him in his abdomen. Afterwards, the two perpetrators immediately made good their escape.

The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital for medical treatment and has since been admitted.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.