Armed men terrorise Berbice family, threaten to rape 9-year-old
Four armed men executed a brazen attack on a Corentyne family on Christmas Eve during which they threatened to rape a nine-year-old girl.
The gun-toting bandits invaded the Lot 4B Number 46 Village home about 22:00h when the owner of the house was about to lock the main access door.
It is believed that the men were staking out the house and carried out the attack moments after the woman returned home with her granddaughter.
Chandrawattie Singh, also called Asha, 54, recalled that as she closed the door behind her, someone pulled it open.
“A person with black all over pull open the door. I see two other persons coming behind. One come up to me and put a gun to my face and say ‘don’t holla.’ They say they want money and jewellery.”
She told them that she did not have any money at home. The men ordered her to sit on the floor with her granddaughter besides her.
“’Tomorrow is Christmas, so you can’t tell me that you don’t have money’,” she recalled one of the men telling her. “’Bring the money. This house get money, you all doing business’,” they insisted.
Singh said she was punched to the face. However, the bandits, all of whom, were masked claimed that Singh was a money lender, but she insisted that she did not conduct such business. At that time, the woman stated her granddaughter attempted to speak to the men.
One of the rooms that were ransacked by the bandits
“’Me Nana [grandfather] na wuk no way; he na bring no money gie abe. He ah drink rum’,” the child reportedly said. The bandits were not convinced and took a ring which Singh was wearing, after which they ransacked the two bedrooms.
They came up empty-handed, so in a furious state, they threatened to shoot the child, but her grandmother pleaded with them and repeated that she had no money. “They say that we got to give them money or they gon kill us.”
Meanwhile, one of the intruders ventured into the lower flat of the house, where he found Singh’s husband, Doodnauth, also called “Gouyo”, 54, asleep. The bandit took away the $11,000 he had in his pockets and put him to lie face down on the floor.
The farmer said he was gun butted by the bandit who requested that he indicate where the money was kept. Meanwhile, Singh was told to take her granddaughter and lie on the bed.
She said the men were not satisfied with the money and threatened to rape her and the child. “I hold on to my granddaughter and I begged them not to hurt we. Every move I make in the house, I hold on tight tight to she; she did crying.”
One of the bandits then asked Singh if they made saddles to sell and she responded in the affirmative. “He ask me if we ain’t sell saddle today, and I say yes.”
She was asked for that money and without hesitation, she took them to the lower flat of the house and handed over the $16,000. However, they insisted that it was not enough and demanded more. But after searching for more than an hour, they left with a gold band and two rings from Singh.
They also took a laptop computer and a cordless telephone. Police are investigating.
