Money-changer, businessman robbed by lone gunman

A money-changer and a market stallholder were on Friday morning robbed at gunpoint by a lone bandit.

Reports are the incident occurred at about 07:45 on Friday, shortly after the Corriverton Market had opened for business. Those robbed were Daneshwar Pananlall, called Peter, a money-changer, who was relieved of $500,000 in both local and foreign currencies; and Vibert Dan, a stallholder, who was robbed of more than $20,000.
Speaking with this publication, Dan said the lone gunman was carrying a bag across his shoulder at the time of the incident.
“He just come up and go into the bag and take out the gun and point it at me, and then go into my pocket and pull out the money,” the businessman said.
Meanwhile, Pananlall recounted that the gun was then pointed at him, and the gunman then went through his pockets and removed the money he was carrying. His phone was also taken away.
“A $1,000 bill drop on the ground, and I bend down to pick it up and he turn back and pick it up,” Dan recalled, while noting that a wallet containing important documents was also taken away from him.
Following the robbery, the bandit left on a bicycle and had a sizeable head start before he was pursued.
Several persons mounted motorbikes and went in pursuit of him, but their efforts were futile. The Police were contacted and joined the hunt, but, up to Friday evening, there was no report of his capture.
Back in January, Pananlall had been attacked and robbed. He was on his way to the Market when he was attacked and robbed of $3M in both local and foreign currencies, including Canadian, Surinamese (SRD) and US dollars.
Then he was ambushed by three men – two with cutlasses and one with a stick. As he slowed his motorbike to turn the corner at the head of his street, there were three guys sitting on the culvert.
They approached him and took away the money bag he was carrying, before pushing his motorbike over, causing him to fall.
Police were not able to find the perpetrators. (G4)