Driver of car used by bandits claims he was abducted, left in Hubu Backdam

Parika robbery

The car that was allegedly hijacked by armed bandits to execute the daring robbery at the “Fresh Bar” in Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), on Friday night was found abandoned in close proximity to the crime.

However, the four perpetrators are still at large, but investigators are hoping to have a breakthrough in the case soon.
Commander of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Simon McBean, when contacted on Sunday stated that the car was attached to a taxi service based on the WCD.
On the night of the robbery, the suspects reportedly stopped the car under the pretence of hiring it but instead, after entering, they held up the driver.
“The report we received is that they abducted him and had him in the car until they drove to the Hubu Backdam area. They [suspects] then reportedly took him out of the vehicle and left him there. They then used the car to execute the crime and later abandoned it but we found it the same night and so investigations into the matter continue,” Commander McBean said.
On Friday evening, sometime around 23:05h, a gunman and a knife-toting bandit stormed into the drinking establishment in question where they assaulted the owners and customers before relieving them of an undisclosed amount of cash and gold jewellery.
The duo then made good their escape with two accomplices inside of the white motorcar, which the perpetrators had arrived at the location with.
According to the 58-year-old bar owner, she has been left traumatised after two of the men assaulted her son along with an employee while they executed a daring robbery which lasted less than five minutes.
The bar was packed with customers when two men ran into the premises; one of whom had a rag tied around his head to conceal half of his face.
The woman explained that her establishment houses a bar and a gambling section. However, she was unable to state the amount of cash that the bandits had gotten away with.
According to the woman, the bandits then attacked the customers and robbed them of their cellular phones.
However, one customer was in the gambling section when the knife-toting bandit attacked him and relieved him of a gold band and gold chain. The proprietress related that after the robbery, the men rushed into a white motorcar that had been parked between her premises and a fast food outlet.
The car along with the robbers was captured on CCTV cameras which were handed over to the police. Her business has been in operation for the past 35 years and this is the first time it was robbed.