A mother of one is still nursing several injuries about her body, which were inflicted by a cutlass after bandits invaded her Uitvlught, West Coast Demerara home two Saturdays ago. Two of the suspects were apprehended by Police over the course of the week and subsequently released.
The house where the robbery occurred
Sazeena Shafeek, who lives with her 15-year-old son, told Guyana Times that the incident unfolded on October 3 at her Lot 944 Uitvlught, WCD residence.
The woman recalled returning from her business in the afternoon and proceeding to conduct physical exercises in the yard. At about 07:45h, she heard her son screaming but before she could move, the woman said she was ambushed by two men just before entering the house.
“When we reach home, we park the car and locked the gate and went inside. I come out to exercise and I heard my son screaming inside the house. By the time I reach in front of the yard, I see two men came in front and scramble the phone. They then lash me with the cutlass in my back,” Shafeek indicated.
According to her, while two of the bandits were outside with her, one was also inside the house with her son. After he ran out, the third man followed him outside. The three suspects asked her to take them inside her house and hand over money. One was carrying a gun and another was brandishing a cutlass.
Shafeek said they began to beat her about the body with the cutlass.
“They tell me that let them inside to give them the money. By the time, my son start screaming again and then he run out the house. Then we see it’s three of them. The one with the cutlass keep beating me and the other one with the gun said he will shoot my son if we don’t give him money.”
After begging for her life, the 35-year-old woman said she handed over gold bangles, a watch and a ring which she was wearing at the time. The men also took a cellular phone.
“Whatever I had on me at the said time, I take it off at the said time. I tell them not to hurt my child and I would give them whatever I have,” the traumatised woman relayed.
As they continued to demand to be let into the house, Shafeek said the beating continued and she kept screaming for help. As the neighbourhood became alert, the cutlass-wielding suspect then dealt her one chop to her ankle and escaped by climbing out through a fence.
“Everybody then know that bandit was inside the yard. After he chop me, I couldn’t get up to give them nothing inside the house and they had to jump out through the fence.”
Shafeek is still recovering from several injuries about her body and one serious wound. Two of the suspects were apprehended after escaping but were released due to insufficient evidence.
Investigators have since collected CCTV footage from the property to advance their investigations. The stolen items are pegged at an estimated $143,000. (G12)
