Heartless bandits invade, pillage Dharm Shala shelter -- leave elderly inmates shaken

Written by Leroy Smith, Sunday, 25 August 2013 00:36, Source

JUST after 02:00hrs yesterday, supposedly armed bandits broke their way into the Dharm Shala Home in Albouystown, Georgetown, and carted off household appliances that were the property of the shelter, and construction tools belonging to contractors presently carrying out maintenance work on sections of the building.

One of the doors which the bandits broached to cart off the items therein

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Speaking with the Chronicle yesterday morning in Albouystown, administrator of the home, Skella Ramsaroop, said she was at home when she got the 2am call informing her that something was terribly wrong at the shelter. She hurried down to the facility as fast as she could, and subsequently realized that bandits had crow-barred their way through the gates of the shelter and into several rooms of the facility, from which they carted off items.

The woman explained that the ordeal has traumatised the inmates, since the breakage took place right at their bed sides on the lower flat of the shelter.

The store room from which the carpentry tools were carted off.

Ms Ramsaroop said a check caused her to realize that five rooms had been broken into; and up to the time of her giving details to this newspaper(after lunch), she was still awaiting a visit from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Guyana Police Force to begin their investigations and to lift finger prints.

Among the items carted off were power saws, drills, screwdrivers and other carpentry tools. Ms Ramsaroop said inmates at the facility told her what they had heard and experienced was extremely horrifying. She pointed out that inmates of the facility are old people who are incapable of harming even a fly, and she deemed the bandits’ action as heartless.

The incident has indeed adversely affected the management of the shelter, including its already sickly director, Harry Ramsaroop; but police who visited the scene promised to capture the persons responsible for the act. However, Ms Ramsaroop said she was noteased with the initial response of the police. She said that when they questioned her, they seemed more interest in finding out about her particulars, rather than getting the information they need in respect to the robbery at the shelter itself.

The sleeping quarters on the lower flat of the building is where all the action took place yesterday morning (Photos by Leroy Smith)

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