Four remanded for Berbice Chinese supermarket robbery

Four men have been remanded to prison on Thursday for several acts of robbery committed at the Golden Spring Supermarket at Number 66 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. This business is owned and operated by Chinese national Zinghang Hu, and the acts of robbery were committed on the premises last week.
Those remanded are Jacob Fable, also known as Samuel, a 58-year-old fisherman of Paramaribo, Suriname and of Manchester Village, Corentyne; Andre Crandon, called Gun Man, a 38-year-old labourer of Lot 151 Little India in Corriverton; Joshua Smith, known as Bias, a 30-year-old construction worker of Lot 47 Liverpool Village; and Fitztroy Joseph, called Mansel, a 27-year-old hire car driver of Number 77 Village Housing Scheme in Corriverton. They were remanded after being arraigned before Springlands Magistrate Tuanna Hardy on nine joint charges of robbery.

It is alleged that on May 8, 2025, at Golden Spring Supermarket at Number 66 Village, Corentyne, they robbed the owner Zhingang Hu and several customers while using guns. The businessman is alleged to have been robbed of $1.9 million in cash and a cellphone valued at $100,000; Qun Wang is alleged to have been robbed of $300,000 cash and a cellphone valued at $100,000.
Haresh Persaud, a customer, is alleged to have been robbed of a Toyota Fielder Wagon valued at $2.2 million and other items, including a Motorola cellphone valued at $40,000 and $25,000 in cash.

Customer Totaram Roopram is alleged to have been robbed of his wallet and $30,000 in cash, along with one Samsung Galaxy cellphone valued at $45,000. Chandrawattie Roopram, a sales girl at the supermarket, is alleged to have been robbed of one gold bangle valued at $80,000 and one pair of gold earrings valued at $50,000. Sita Budhoo, another sales girl at the supermarket, is alleged to have been robbed of one pair of gold bangles valued at $150,000.

Mohamed Shakar, also known as “Dice”, a contractor of Tain Settlement, Corentyne, is alleged to have been robbed of one gold finger ring valued at $160,000, and one Samsung Galaxy A04 cellphone valued at $25,000. Lynette Shakar, a customer in the supermarket at the time, is alleged to have been robbed of $898,000 in cash, two Samsung Galaxy cellphones valued at $90,000, two bank cards, and one national ID card; and Shavnarine Richard is alleged to have been robbed of $35,000 in cash and one Samsung Galaxy cellphone valued at $25,000.

The total of the values stolen in the robbery amounted to more than $3.2 million.
The four were charged under Section 222(c) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01, and were not required to plead.
Bail was refused, and they have been remanded to prison.
They will next return to court on June 11, for a police progress report. The matter has been transferred to the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court.
The men were charged after reportedly providing confession statements to the police. Police are currently on the hunt for one other individual in relation to the robbery.