A New Amsterdam Market vendor (who has requested not to be named) awoke from slumber at about 04:20h on Monday last; and as per normal, opened the door leading to the lower section of her two-storey home – only to be pounced upon by three masked men!

“I just open the door and come outside, and I see this red pants coming up to me; and when I raise up, the man got a gun,” the incredulous vendor detailed. She said the shirtless man was masked and was accompanied by two other masked men, both carrying knives.
The vendor said she screamed, and a neighbour responded. “She asked, ‘What happening?!’ (as she started) running over; and the one with the gun run inside and pick up my bag from the wall, and another (bag) that was lying down.”
That alarm alerted family members, and they rushed to the woman’s aid. The men fled the scene by jumping a fence and then traversing a canal as the vendor’s neighbours gave chase. The men then made their way into the cane field and disappeared.
Later, nearly one mile away, residents discovered a handbag lying along a dam with a few documents scattered beside it. According to the market vendor, there were mostly medical documents in the bags, along with an identification card. The Police were subsequently alerted and an investigation has been launched.
Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam, on Monday said that Police are searching for members of a gang that fit the description of the men who had attacked and robbed the vendor.

A Police investigation is now in full swing after the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/Abary Agriculture Development Association (MMA-ADA) main office in Number 27 Village, Onverwagting (Region Five) was ransacked by bandits during the wee hours of Thursday.

General Manager of the establishment, Aubrey Charles related to the press that the incident reportedly occurred at approximately 00:30h; however, he explained that he was only made aware around 02:30h.
The General Manager expressed his reluctance to impart any information given the premature stage of the investigation.
This newspaper understands that no one was injured during the robbery. Details surrounding the stolen articles remain undisclosed.
Efforts made by the media to contact the Divisional Commander proved futile.

A TAXI driver is counting his losses after robbers stole his silver grey 212 motorcar from in front of his Lot 28 East Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara home last week.
Surujlall Mamass, known as “Dave”, said at around 13:45hrs on Monday, he heard when someone drove off with the car, but by the time he made it outside, it was too late.
The man placed an advert in the newspapers and with the help of a resident; found the shell of this car HB 5488 aback Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, on Thursday, March 16.

“I found the car in the bare shell alone. Everything strip from the car; the door, bonnet, engine, everything gone,” the frustrated taxi driver told the Guyana Chronicle.
According to Mamass, surveillance cameras in the area captured two men stealing his car; however, due to the place being dark at the time, it was difficult to see the faces of the perpetrators.
The driver said even though the police set up road blocks at Vreen-En-Hoop, La Grange and at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, when the incident occurred, he is not satisfied with the pace of the investigations.
“Up to now, the police them nah do nothing to assist me in searching. All wah them tell me, go and search, when me find the car, give them a call. They tell me to go and search,” Mamass lamented.
He believes that if the police were more proactive, the car could have been found the same day it was stolen.

KE TOUNG Wu woke up early Saturday morning to start his daily chores but as soon as he opened his door, he was greeted by two armed men, who immediately attacked him.
The 45-year-old Chinese businessman resides at Lot 36 Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, where he owns and operates the ‘Lucky Supermarket.’

Commander of ‘D’ Division, Leslie James, confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that the robbery occurred approximately 06:45hrs on Saturday.
He said the businessman was attacked by two men who were armed with a metal bar. According to the Commander, Ke received a laceration to the head and received five stitches after visiting the Leonora Diagnostic Hospital.
This newspaper understands that the bandits managed to cart off $600,000 in cash, and according to reports, they demanded that the businessman hand over the keys to the gate, after which they opened the padlock and escaped in a minibus.
During the course of the robbery, the businessman panicked and scaled the fence to his neighbour’s yard, where he sought help.

When this newspaper arrived at the scene, investigators were still trying to figure out how the bandits gained entry. The men were not masked as investigators managed to secure surveillance video from a resident in the area.
While no one has been arrested as yet, the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that one of the bandits was identified as “Spanna Toe” while the other is known as “Tattoo Boy” from Parika, East Bank Essequibo.
This is the third time that the Chinese businessman has been robbed.

AN armed bandit was shot dead in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday during a confrontation with a businessman in suburban Bel Air.
Fortunately for the businessman, he was not injured in the shootout, but a friend of his, the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling, was and is currently hospitalised at a private institution.
The fallen bandit, who is yet to be identified, was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to reports, the businessman had just seen one of two friends home in Belvoir Court after a night out at the movies when the incident occurred.
It happened around 00:30hrs as the friend was about to secure the gate to his premises, where he was accosted by two men, one of whom brandished a firearm and ordered him to ‘Freeze!’
The driver, sensing that something was amiss, decided to reverse the vehicle to check on his friend, and came under a hail of bullets as the armed bandit opened fire. In the fusillade, the front windscreen of the vehicle was shattered and the driver was hit on his arm.
The businessman, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle, immediately drew his licensed .32 Taurus pistol and returned fire, hitting the bandit squarely in the chest. His accomplice, not wanting to wait around, took to his heels, leaving his fallen accomplice behind.
The police were subsequently informed of the shooting, and upon arriving at the scene, found a .32 pistol believed to have belonged to the deceased suspect.
They also found seven .32 calibre spent shells and a cellular phone.
The police are reportedly reviewing footage from several CCTV surveillance cameras in the neighbourhood to build their case.
The body of the slain bandit, meanwhile, is currently at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting identification. A post-mortem is expected to be done today.

ON Tuesday night, the silence at Parker Street, Providence on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), was shattered after two gun-toting bandits robbed several persons.
Reports are that around 23:00hrs, two men launched an attack on several residents along the street, robbing anyone they encountered. According to a resident, her brother was sitting outside a shop and while he chatted with friends, a car pulled up a corner away from her home and two men emerged.
She said the men, both of whom were armed and had their faces covered with pieces of cloth, attacked her brother and robbed him of an undisclosed sum of money. She said the men also robbed her brother’s friends and later turned their attention to other persons in the vicinity.
The men then walked along Parker Street in a northerly direction and robbed at least three persons, some of whom were on their way home. According to another resident, the two men threatened to shoot persons as they were being robbed and she noted that persons in the area dialed the 911 police response number but received no response.
Residents noted that a report was made to the police following the incident. It is unclear if any arrests were made. Meanwhile, residents in the area called on the police to place patrols along Parker Street as well as other streets within Providence.
It was noted by a resident that the “four corner” along Parker Street is usually a hot-spot for drug-users and persons engaged in other illicit activities. She said that there are several persons who are involved in gang –related activities, noting that some persons had thrown laced-shoes atop the electrical wires as a sign that there were gangs in the area.
This newspaper observed several pairs of shoes hanging from the wires along the streets adjoining Parker Street. Residents called on the authorities to remove the shoes as a means of sending a message to those engaged in criminal acts.

…residents count their losses

More than 20 sheep were on Saturday stolen from a La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) herder, who is now left counting his losses.

In tears, Mohammed Rafeek, 50, of Independent Street, La Grange, that the incident occurred between 01:00h and 03:00h.

The man, who is also a part-time vendor, explained that he and his family retired

to bed a little after midnight.

However, when he awoke around 04:00h and checked on the sheep only three were in the pen.

Rafeek related to Guyana Times that a rope suspected to have been used to tie the sheep was in the pen.

The herder is uncertain where the robbers entered his yard from, but said they exited through the backyard as footprints of the thieves and sheep were seen on the dam.

Rafeek said in shock he left his home and reported the matter to the La Grange Police Station where a report was taken.

He added that the officers came to his home where a brief investigation was carried out and the rope that was left in the pen was taken into evidence.

However, it was also reported to this publication that Rafeek was not the only person to be robbed of recent. Two other herders also had sheep stolen from them; one lost 16 and the other 18.

Rafeek said it was also disclosed to him by the Police Officers that numerous reports of similar incidents were made at the Police Station.

He is calling for assistance from the public to find his sheep as that is his livelihood.

He is offering a $100,000 reward for anyone who could assist him with his plight. Persons with information are asked to contact 610-7152 and 686-6310

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Wilfred Tennyson, 20, a businessman of 37 Adventure, Essequibo Coast, which occurred at about 01:00hrs Thursday morning.

Reports indicate that the young businessman was shot by a Supernumerary Constable attached to a Security Service. Police investigation revealed that the male suspect, who was armed with a handgun belonging to the Security Firm he works with, left his place of duty and ventured into Tennyson’s shop (License Liquor Restaurant) where they engaged in playing pools; the suspect was said to be imbibing during that process.

Later an argument erupted after the bar owner won a game and the suspect allegedly whipped out his firearm and shot the victim to his right side abdomen.

Tennyson was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where he is in a stable condition. The suspect, who is 32-years-old, and hails from Adventure, Essequibo Coast has since been taken into custody and the firearm lodged.

A businessman is nursing a gunshot injury to his upper right thigh after he went to assist another man who was being robbed by three armed men in front of his business place.
Injured is Ulborne Parker, 35, of Garnette Street, Newtown Kitty, Georgetown. He is said to be in a stable condition.
Reports are at about 19:30h on Tuesday evening, a welder of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was standing in front of a business place at Garnette Street, Kitty, when he was confronted by three men on pedal cycles.
He was subsequently relieved of the two gold chains he was wearing at the time. Upon seeing this, Parker went to the young man’s assistance and was also attacked and relieved of his gold chain but not before putting up a fight.
During the scuffle, one of the suspects whipped out a handgun and discharged a round, hitting the businessman to his upper right thigh after which the bandits fled the scene.
Parker was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated and admitted a patient. The Police are however hunting the three suspects who were caught in the act on surveillance cameras in the area.

An Indian national was shot and injured during an attempted robbery at First Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara.
Reports are at about 23:50h on Tuesday, Brianard Revival, 28, a foreign student, was in the company of his friends when he stopped his car at an intersection and another car drove up in front of his and stopped.
As the car came to a halt in front of his own, a male existed from the back seat with a gun in his hand. The suspect approached the victim and his friends and demanded cash and other valuables.
The Indian national upon realising what was happening stepped on his accelerator and in retaliation; the bandit discharged a round in the direction of the victim’s car hitting him to the upper left arm.
The foreigner was rushed to a private medical facility where he underwent emergency surgery and is presently in a stable condition. The matter was reported to the Police but no arrests have been made so far.
Police are continuing their investigations.

A Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara (ECD) family is now left traumatised after members were terrorised and robbed by two armed men.
The robbery occurred about 19:30h on Tuesday at the family’s Lot 4C Section B Chateau Margot home and lasted for some 45 minutes.
According to reports, 49-year-old Mohan Lall, along with his 24-year-old daughter, Salomie, and three-year-old granddaughter, was at home sitting in the living room,

in the lower flat of the two-storey house when the two bandits, one armed with a gun and the other with a pair of scissors, stormed into their home and held them up.
In an effort to save their lives, Lall handed over a quantity of cash to the bandits, but not before he was beaten in his head and face. The perpetrators also escaped with a laptop, two cellular phones and several watches.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Wednesday morning, Lall recounted the ordeal, relating that his wife had gone out and did not secure the padlock on the grill door unbeknownst to them. He added that about an hour later, the bandits gained entry into the house through the door after scaling the fence along the western side of the yard.
“Two men walked in, an Indian one and a negro one – he start beat me since he reach in the house. He ain’t ask me or tell me anything, he just start beat me and punch me in my face and then after, he say he want the money or else he gon kill we. Me turn and say ‘Oh friend, is money you want, take the money, nah kill we’,” the man, whose face was swollen, recalled.
He said his daughter handed over about $105,000 in cash to the perpetrators but they were unsatisfied and one of them said they knew Lall had money. At this point, Lall said he complied with the bandits, who escorted the three of them upstairs and one of them took him into the room where he handed over some US currency to them.
“I had $617 US dollars under the mattress and I take it and give him. They then take the three of us and push us in a room and lock the door. Then like them come downstairs and them check around and carry way the computer, couple phones and some watches that went in a bag. After that, they come out and jump over the (eastern) fence and get away,” he related.
Lall added that about 10 minutes later, after they were sure the bandits had left, they came out of the room and contacted the Police, who came sometime after. He was then escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated for a wound on his head and bruises to his face, before being sent away.
Nevertheless, the man noted that the following morning they discovered a pair of slippers in the yard which they believe belonged to one of the bandits, who may have lost them after scaling the western fence to enter the yard. Additionally, they also found a band from one of the wristwatches that were stolen.
Meanwhile, in a release on Wednesday, the Police said that no arrests have been made.

Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Collins, a maintenance worker attached to the Alpha Hotel at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, was Thursday morning shot by Leila Jagdeo, a 69-year-old woman who is known in the area as “Granny”. She reportedly told law enforcement officials after the incident that she had thought Collins was a thief.

According to staff attached to the hotel, the incident occurred at about 06:50h on Thursday, when the man was cleaning the weeds off of a zinc fence which separates the hotel’s premises from the yard in which the elderly woman lives.

Jagdeo was not available to speak to media operatives, but Guyana Times was told that the woman told Police that she had thought Collins was a bandit who was trying to jump into her yard, so, being a licensed firearm holder, she picked up her revolver and fired one shot in the direction of the young man.

The bullet pierced the zinc fence and hit Collins to his abdomen.

Staff from the hotel ran to the young man’s aid after realising what had transpired. They subsequently called the Police, and the injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he is presently in a stable condition.

Staffers attached to the hotel questioned the elderly woman’s reason for shooting at the maintenance worker, since, according to them, Jagdeo knew the man.

“She tell Police that she thought he was a thief, but she know Brandon. She does ask he fuh help she do things around she yard, and he help couple times,” a hotel staff told this media house.

Collins reportedly hails from Berbice, but currently lives in Republic Park on the East Bank of Demerara. He is said to have been employed with Alpha Hotel for approximately three years.

Jagdeo is presently assisting Police with investigations. (Ramona Luthi)

A businessman was in the wee hours of Thursday morning shot and injured during an argument over a game of pool at Adventure, Essequibo Coast.

The injured man has been identified as Wilfred Tennyson, also called Lawrie, 32, of 37 Adventure, Essequibo Coast.

Based on reports received, a Supernumerary Constable attached to a Security Service was armed with a handgun belonging to the security firm to which he is employed. He left his place of duty and ventured into the victim’s shop, and they engaged in a game of pool.

However, an argument erupted after the victim won a game, and the suspect allegedly whipped out his firearm and shot Tennyson to his right side abdomen.

The victim was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, where he was treated and admitted. He is said to be in a stable condition. The 20-year-old suspect from Adventure, Essequibo Coast has since been taken into custody, and his firearm has been lodged.

But speaking with the Guyana Times at the Suddie Hospital, the injured man refuted claims which suggest that the incident stemmed from an argument, but said rather that the suspect’s firearm accidently went off while he playing pools.

“I genuinely feel it was an accident, there was no argument; and besides, we are friends…the shot just went off by accident,” the victim claimed. Tennyson has undergone emergency surgery to remove the bullet from his abdomen. Police are continuing their investigations.