Bandits waylay, rob Annandale family

An East Bank Demerara family is now traumatized after being ambushed and robbed by bandits several hours after arriving in the country.
Nanda Ally, her thirteen year-old daughter and aunt Rajmatie Budram were robbed of a quantity of local and United States currency, jewellery, and other valuables, including their passports.

Rajmatie Budram (left) and Nanda Ally

The incident occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday morning mere seconds after arriving at their lot 12 Courbane, Park, Annandale home, from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
“My husband came out the car after collecting us from the airport, and we walked in the yard towards the door to open it…then there were these two young men in the yard wearing dark clothing,” Ally related to Kaieteur News.
“One of them put a knife to my daughter’s neck, and the other man had a gun to Budhram’s neck and they start cuss and waving the gun, and I gave them all my jewellery and valuables…They started to grab all of our six bags which contained our five passports, US$3,400 of which people gave me to give their relatives here, and GUY$20,000 and electrical items.”
Rajmatie Budhram said even though she was scared, she refused to surrender her handbag which contained her passport and other valuables to the bandits. This apparently angered them.
“I started to fight with the one with the gun and he was like, give me the f…ing bag now. I told him please don’t take this bag it has my passport. I kept fighting him and he said he would shoot me and he pointed the gun in my face. He then raised the gun and shot it in the air and I smelt the gunpowder, but I still didn’t let go of the bag, I don’t know what was wrong with me. He then chucked me away after my grip got loose and he and the other bandit fled on foot towards the public road where they disappeared.” Budhram recounted.
Budhram said that Ally’s husband is a licenced firearm holder, but his weapon was locked away in the house. She added that the men were chased but managed to escape.
The family pointed out that the bandits had to have been privy to the fact that they were returning to the country and therefore waited patiently in the dark to execute the robbery.
The matter was reported to the Vigilance Police Station. The traumatized victims are offering a reward for the return of the five passports that were stolen. “These boys don’t look like they are above 21 years old,” Budhram noted.
Meanwhile, police officials divulged that similar instances of robbery were reported recently, and as such, CJIA early morning flights would be monitored.  The police also revealed to Kaieteur News, plans of increasing patrols across the country as the Christmas season approaches.