Armed bandits attacked and robbed a Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) businessman on Friday evening carrying away cash and other valuables. The men then escaped on a motorcycle.
The robbery occurred at about 19:15h on Friday at Third Street, Belvedere, Corentyne and targeted 31-year-old businessman, Ravindra Somai called ‘Buxton’.
According to police, the businessman was robbed of $400,000 cash, two gold chains valued at $800,000 along with one gold band valued at $115,000 and a Samsung cellular phone valued $120,000.
Somai related that he, along with two of his workers and a friend were at his workshop that is attached to his home when two masked men, each armed with a handgun, rode into his yard. He said his school-age son, who lives with him, was able escape and hide in the workshop’s washroom.
The businessman recalled when the bandits entered his yard, he was on his phone with his parents.
One of the bandits taking the businessman inside of the house
“All what I see is two men running in and they tell everybody to lie on the ground and all of them go on the ground. They tell them to pass all the money and all the gold.”
The businessman said at the time he was in his hammock and one of the bandits approached him.
“He lashed me in my head with the gun and then go in my pocket and take out my phone and money. Then they carry me inside and beat me inside again and say pass all the money,” Somai recalled.
He was reportedly threatened that he will be shot if he did not give his visitors more money.
At the time of the attack a friend was visiting Somai, and he and another worker were also robbed by the two intruders.
According to Kenny Gildarie, after being told to lie on the ground he complied and saw one of the workers emptying the pockets of one of his friend’s workers.
Men forced to lie on the ground during the robbery
“I tried to hide my phone and wallet. I did hide the wallet under the table where I was lying down; there is a low table there, so I pushed the wallet under the table and they didn’t see that. When I go to put the phone, the one guy that was searching the worker, he saw me push something under the table and he asked me what is it. I knew that he was going to look under the table, so before he looked under the table, I just pulled the phone out and gave it to him because I don’t want him to see my wallet under the table,” Gildarie revealed.
The two workers and Gildarie were told to get up and go into the house and according to Gildarie, that is when he was relieved of a chain he was wearing around his neck.
“The guy came back outside and told us not to move and to keep our heads down. He don’t want us to watch in his face to recognise him. He has a mask but he still don’t want us to watch in his face. I was trying to look at his face but he came up with the gun and put it on my head and said let me put my [expletive] head down. So I decided to stay humble. After both of them was dealing with “Buxton” in the house when all three of us was laying down outside on the concrete. After they got the money and the jewellery from my friend, they came and told all three of us to get up and go inside the house – both of them had guns and while we were walking going inside, I had a silver necklace and he pulled it off and hit me one lash on my shoulder for me to go in the house,” Gildarie added.
CCTV footage of the robbery shows the bandits acting with a lack of coordination and at times leaving Gildarie and the two workers alone while both of them were inside of the house with Somai.
Police are on the hunt for the two bandits, who escaped on a black and red XR motorcycle, as investigations continue.
