A businessman was fatally shot after a large gang of heavily armed bandits invaded his Cove & John, East Coast Demerara home last evening and also wounded his brother-in-law.

The attackers escaped into the backlands with an undisclosed amount of cash and jewellery.

Fifty-one-year-old mango trader Kumar Singh of Lot 51 Craig Milne, Cove & John, died while undergoing emergency surgery at the Georgetown Public Hospital about an hour after the ordeal. He was shot at least three times in his chest.

His brother-law whose name was given as John Jessica, a Brazilian, sustained gunshot wounds to his waist and knee and was admitted to the same institution last evening in a stable condition. Jessica's wife and niece were also gun butted by the men and received medical attention before being sent home.

Reports reaching this newspaper are that Jessica and his wife arrived in the country from Suriname around 7 pm and shortly after the heavily armed bandits struck. Four entered the home while three more stood guard outside the yard.

The men terrorized and shot at the family members who numbered about nine during the 15-minute ordeal before escaping on foot towards the back dam.

The area where the house is situated is dark.

Small guns

Big guns

Relatives stated that the men toted "small guns and big guns" and some carried more than one gun and fired these indiscriminately while they were in the house.

This newspaper received information from residents that shots were heard coming from all directions suggesting that others were standing guard nearby. This would be in keeping with the modus operandi in recent large-scale bandit attacks.

The Singhs' residence is located a short distance from away from the Cove and John Police Station but ranks arrived about 20 minutes after the men fled although they received numerous calls. This has been a recurring problem during attacks like these.

Residents in neighbouring communities said that they too were hearing the gunshots clearly and it was as though an army of gunmen were in the area.

Singh's daughter Latchmini, told Stabroek News at the hospital that she was packing up at the DVD club in front of the home at about 8:30 pm when four bandits, two of whom wore masks, ran into the yard and at gunpoint choked her and slapped her and demanded money. Her parents along with other relatives including John and his family were downstairs chatting and the bandits ran up to them and held them at gunpoint.

Latchmini said that she was carried upstairs and taken to her mother's room and the bandit demanded to know where the money was. She said that he threatened to rape her and she went down on her knees and begged him not to do so. She recounted that she told them that she would call her mother and ran downstairs. She stated that when she came downstairs she saw her father bleeding on the ground and "he tell we leh we run and hide, save we life because he done dead". She then ran into the garden and hid and discovered her mother crouching there also.

Meantime the bandits had ransacked the home and Latchmini said that while they crouched outside they heard the gunmen demanding money and heard them saying that an aunt had $7M and her father had $10M and demanded this and also reportedly demanded a gun. Latchmini said that her aunt handed over a large amount of jewellery and when the bandits came downstairs they shot at her father two more times. By this time the bandits' accomplices were calling to "come come leh we go" and they left and again fired their guns. She said that upon realizing that the bandits had left the family immediately began screaming for help. The police were summoned and they transported her father to the hospital.

During the ordeal Jessica's eight-year-old and five-year-old daughters were beaten by the bandits as well as the older relatives. At the hospital this newspaper observed the small girls' clothing was stained with blood and there was some on their faces as well while other relatives' faces' bore cuts. The girls were constantly calling out for their mother.

At the hospital last night, scores of relatives anxiously waited as the men were treated with concern visible all over their faces. Loud wailing broke out when the news was broken that Singh had succumbed and the hospital's emergency room was a scene of frenzied action as relatives cried loudly in disbelief forcing others to hold and attempt to comfort them.

As his body was being carried away hospital employees were forced to contend with relatives who held on to the stretcher at one point making it fall to the ground.

In light of this murderous assault residents are calling for street lights, a regular police patrol and a revamping of the community policing group.

Last evening many residents who were still in fear turned up at the home to lend their support to the family who were unable to hold back tears as they sat near the spot where Singh was shot.

The country is in the throes of a surge in violent crime and the police have come under heavy pressure to produce results.