Corentyne businessman, family beaten and robbed by bandits

A Corentyne, Berbice businessman and his family were on Wednesday evening brutalised by five armed bandits who carted off cash and other valuables.

Five men, three of them armed with guns and two with cutlasses, went to Chill Grocery and Parlour situated at Lot 195 Nigg about one mile off the Corentyne Highway. Mandeshwal “Chill” Kamalall said the bandits attacked just as he was about to close for the day. He said he was lashed with a cutlass and put to lie on the ground. Two bandits stood guard, while the others went into the shop where his wife Dharma was, with their two children aged 3 and 12 years old.

“…they put the gun pon me and knock me in me head and in me face. And then they start demand fo money, an Ah tell them Ah gon give you.”
She related that her three-year-old daughter was assaulted and ‘chucked’ and threats were made to kill the child if she did not cooperate and take them into the upper flat of the building.
The businesswoman noted that it was at that stage that her 12-year-old daughter pleaded with the masked men not to hurt her baby sister or kill her mother. The bandits did not pursue their request to enter the residential section of the two-storey building, and escaped on bicycles with the day’s sales ($60,000); $35,000 which Kamalall had in his pockets, two cellular phones valued at $85,000; $30,000 in phone cards and $35,000 worth of cigarettes.
Kamalall said shortly after the men fled, he made contact with the Albion Police Station, but was told no vehicle patrol was available to respond to his report. Police reportedly arrived some 30 minutes later.
Kamalall sustained injuries to his back and face, while his wife had injuries to her head from being gun butted.
Meanwhile, one resident, Michael Ishmael said residents of the community have not been receiving police assistance in a timely manner.
“There are many nights we call the police station at Albion and we get no response from them. We complain of guys liming in the dark spots in the front streets and just timing people when they coming in.
When you call the Albion Police Station, they tell you they sending the patrol, they don’t send no patrol; you will be looking out from your window and there is no patrol and many times people getting robbed in the street, not only in their house but in the street people getting rob too.”
The media had published several reports reflecting a lack of response from the Albion Police Station. Persons from Albion have reported receiving assistance from the Whim Police Station situated 10 miles away. Albion is part of the Nigg community.
No arrests have been made in relation to Wednesday’s night robbery.