BV
residents still in shock after
daring gun robbery
--
1 gunman pockets 6 cigarettes from bottle
- The police were summoned but they reportedly did not pursue the bandits.
RESIDENTS
of the East Coast Village of Beterverwagting are
still in a state of shock after three gunmen
walked through the village on Monday night and
robbed one grocery shop and several customers of
cash, jewelry and a cellular phone.
According
to proprietor Bibi Nisha, the first victim, was in
the grocery shop entertaining customers about 8:45
hours when the gunmen walked in and showed her the
gun which one of them placed on the counter and
demanded she hand over the money.
By Michel Outridge
The
first grocery shop which was robbed by gunmen on
Monday night, which is owned by Bibi
Nisha.
At
the time four male villagers were playing a
friendly game of dominoes outside the shop while
two other customers were seated inside the shop
having a drink.
She
took the afternoon's sales and placed it on the
counter but the gunman demanded she open the door
to the shop.
"I
told him that I was going for the key inside and
ran in the house and slammed the door shut and
barred it," said the woman.
This
aggravated the gunman who discharged three rounds
after the proprietor.
Nisha
said that after she secured the door she turned
off the lights and ran upstairs to alert her
husband, who was in the upper flat of the
building.
The
bandits then proceeded to rob the six customers of
their valuables; a cellular phone, a wedding band,
two gold chains, and $1,040. They were forced to
lie facedown on the floor.
The bandits on their way out fired a fourth round at the upper flat of the building, breaking a louver pane in the process before they calmly walked off to rob another shop a short distance away.
The
second shop at Canterbury Walk where Janet
Price and her friend were robbed by the
gunmen.
Nisha told the Guyana Chronicle that she has been doing business for some 17 years now and this was the first robbery, having lived for some 25 years at the location.
The police were summoned but they reportedly did not pursue the bandits.
Four
spent shells were recovered from Nisha's home
after the incident.
At
Lot 107 Canterbury Walk, Janet Price, proprietor
of the shop and her friend were seated in front of
her shop, customarily chatting, when the three
gunmen walked up to her and told her to take off
her bangles.
Price
said she first thought it was a joke and began
laughing, but the young gunmen became annoyed and
brandished a gun, and began stripping the woman of
her jewellery.
Price
said that he then asked who the owner of the shop
was.
One
of the gunmen peeped into the shop and took out
six cigarettes that were inside a bottle and
pocketed them, while his two accomplices looked
on.
Price's
friend was asked to take off her chain. She told
the gunmen that it was not gold and they walked
off leaving the two frightened women there.
As
the men were leaving Price was about to make a
dash to her house when one of the gunmen
approached her asked her where she was going.
"I
told him that I was going to urinate and he said
to urinate right there, and I went to sit because
I felt he would shoot me if I moved," said
the woman.
The
women were oblivious to the gunshots, which were
fired at Nisha's residence minutes before because
of the loud music that was blasting from several
music systems that evening.
Price
estimated her loss at around $100,000 and is
thankful she was not injured in the robbery.
She
related that the police responded promptly to the
call but did not pursue the gunmen, who some felt
were still in the area.
From
all indications the three young men who were
unmasked have since been identified as visitors to
the village who came that night through the cane
fields, which is located aback of the village.
The police yesterday said no arrests had yet been made.
