Gunmen strike twice at Vreed-en-Hoop businesses in one day

Residents of Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, are now fearful for their safety and their businesses after gunmen robbed two neighbouring businesses in one day.

At about 22:00h Thursday night, two unmasked gunmen went into the Palm Castle Hang Out Spot located on New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop Public Road and robbed the cashier and a customer of a quantity of cash.

Speaking with Guyana Times Christopher Henry, whose father owns the bar, recalled that the two men walked in the bar like regular customers. At the time, there were some customers sitting at a table in the corner and they were held up by the bandits, one of whom was armed.

The armed bandit then went behind the bar, where the cashier was while his accomplice remained at the table.

“(The armed bandit) went into the bar and told the bargirl to lie flat on the ground and he took all the money from the drawer. He came out back and meet the other guy at the table.”

Henry noted that the bandits then put the customers to lie on the ground and even assaulted one of them. “One of the customers get lash in his face with the gun and the other boy, they put he on his belly and he said he lost about $85,000.”

The young man further related that the two perpetrators then went back into the bar, collected two juices and walked out. He said that at the time he was watching the robbery from a CCTV surveillance upstairs.

Henry explained that he happened to pass by the CCTV monitor when he noticed what was happening downstairs. He said that he did not go down because he was unsure how many bandits and if they were armed.

“The whole thing lasted about two minutes but when I see then walking out, I rush out to the veranda and shouted for thief! When they heard me, they ran to the car and drove off heading to Parika side.”

Meanwhile, his father and owner of the popular bar, Pouranand Harricharran, told this newspaper that he was not at home but after his family called and informed him about the robbery, he rushed home.

The businessman stated that the CCTV camera captured the entire ordeal and a copy of the footage was handed to the police. He further detailed that the footage show when the white car, which was heading in the eastern direction, pulled up in front of his premises and two men exited and entered the bar.

He continued that the driver then turned the car to face the western direction and shortly after the two men were seen running out of the bar and into the car before it sped off.

This robbery occurred some 12 hours after a Chinese Supermarket, located two houses away, was robbed earlier in the day. Reports revealed that sometime around 10:00h on Thursday morning, three armed men stormed the premises then taking off with an undisclosed sum of cash from the cashiers and customers.

Guyana Times understands that one of the customers in the supermarket who was robbed of about $50,000 lives between the supermarket and Palm Castle Hang Out Spot, which means that three adjoining neighbours were looted in less than 24 hours.

The victims believe that the same group carried out the daring robberies. “It had to be them,” Harricharran declared to this publication shortly after the robbery.

Police in ‘D’ Division (West Demerara) had combed the area following both robberies but came up empty handed. Nevertheless, investigations are ongoing as surveillance footage from both incidents was handed over for identification of the perpetrators. (Vahnu Manickchand)