Armed bandits beat, rob Diamond residents during birthday celebration

The birthday celebration of a Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara resident turned into a nightmare when armed bandits stormed into her house on Saturday evening. At least one of the bandits was toting a gun.
Reports are that around 22:00h at 21st Street, Diamond, four men attacked the family and demanded cash and jewellery.
During the ordeal, two of the victims were physically assaulted. However, neighbours were not aware of the commotion owing to the loud music at the birthday celebration.
Guyana Times understands that the robbery was executed within minutes and the four bandits made good their escape into the dark of the night heading towards Kaneville Village, EBD.
According to a Police source, the victims were traumatised and the two who were not injured were busy trying to help the others after the men escaped. They did not notice if the men left on foot or bicycle.
However, the source explained that coupled with the darkness of the night and lack of street lights in the area, it would have been difficult to pursue the armed men.
He stated that when Police Officers were finally summoned to respond, the ranks did so “quite quickly”, but by then it was too late. The men had already made good their escape with their loot.
“You see, that area is like a canefield area, similar to a backdam. It leads into Kaneville, which is a known spot for petty thieves and other criminals to hide out sometimes. Without knowing where they went, what they looked like, or who we are looking for, then it would have been difficult to make arrests in 24 hours,” the Police source added.
Meanwhile, the injured family members were treated at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre and sent home.
Investigations into the matter are presently ongoing.
Meanwhile, between Thursday and Friday, in the county of Berbice, gun-toting bandits struck, attacking two families at Black Bush Polder and carting off cash and jewellery. Upon making a report, family members were told that the Police had no vehicle to respond immediately.
Reports are the gunmen, all masked, initially tried to break into the home of a farmer at Johanna North around 01:20h. They shot at him after their attempt failed.
Harmond Roopnarine, a 40-year-old farmer; his wife and two children, aged 17 and 16, were at home.
The farmer said he heard someone trying to break into his home and stood up, waiting with a cutlass in his hand as they repeatedly hit the window.
As one bandit was making his way in from the broken window, the family began to scream while Roopnarine stood next to the window armed with the cutlass. The bandits ordered him to put down the cutlass, but he did not comply. This led to them firing shots at the farmer and demanding, while still outside, that he hand over his gold and money.
Roopnarine said another shot was fired in the direction of his wife and children, who were in the bedroom.
The two bandits, the farmer said, were outside of his home for about 10 minutes during which time several calls were made to the Mibicuri Police Station, but the family was told that the Police were incapable of responding since they had no vehicle.
Meanwhile, at Johanna South, Lennox Ramcharran, 51, a rice farmer, was beaten after gunmen went into his home about 20:30h on Thursday.
Ramcharran said he left his two teenage children inside after he heard dogs barking and went outside to investigate only to be confronted by bandits.
All three of the bandits had guns, the man recalled. He said that the bandits ransacked the house after his wife gave them money and jewellery. She and her two children were also beaten.
The men left with $300,000 and jewellery worth an undisclosed amount. To ensure their escape was without incident, the men grabbed the farmer’s 16-year-old daughter, but released her after they realised that they were not being followed.
Ramcharran said shortly after the robbery, two Police Officers arrived on motorbikes.