Residents of East Coast Berbice communities between Palmyra and Seawell in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) were shocked to learn that a man, released on Thursday after serving prison time for larceny, had plundered at least eight homes within a space of three hours, spanning the late evening hours of Thursday and the early morning hours of Friday.
Now safely back in the custody of law enforcement personnel, the man, when apprehended, was found with two bulky bags containing items from villagers’ homes.
One of the cars which was broken into and money stolen
The first reported breakage was in the village of Seawell, where Lolita Ramdass discovered that someone had removed several louvre panes from her window and had entered the lower flat of her two-storey building. The discovery was made at about 07:00h on Friday, when her granddaughter went to the lower flat and discovered both doors open.
Ramdass said items had been removed from her refrigerator, along with household items and three bags containing small sums of money. She also reported missing a cellular phone and its charger.
As Ramdass raised an alarm, persons from the back of the village who were on their way to work found several household items packed in a bag, and partly-used bottles of beverage nearby. A check revealed that some of the items belonged to her.
Askam Ally, who lives two houses away from Ramdass, was reportedly awoken from sleep at about 22:00h on Thursday by strange sounds in his Lot 5 Sewell home. Ally explained that he opened the door and confronted the person, who made a dash for the gate, and picked up a bicycle he had leaning on the fence. On that bicycle was a bulky bag.
And at about 02:00h on Friday, Annan Ajab, also called “Sham,” of Lot 59 Palmyra, said he was awoken but a strange sound; and upon checking, discovered that someone was using a flashlight to search one of his cars. He said that by the time he went out into the yard, the person had departed, but he discovered that two of his cars were broken into and items, including money and a cellular phone, had gone missing.
Ajab said the police were contacted, and after several checks in the community, they found a man walking a short distance away. The man was carrying two bulky bags. Further checks revealed that there were household and personal items in those bags. Several residents were later able to identify some of the items in those bags.
Ajab related that police also found a bicycle parked in a street with a bulky bag hanging on the handle.
Ricky Gowkarran of Lot 57 Palmyra said he was called out, and on his way to the gate, he discovered that his bicycle had been stolen. It was later discovered that the bicycle which was found with a heavy bag belonged to him.
Oma Karram of Lot 43 Palmyra said that when she got up, she discovered that someone had broken into her home and had partly emptied her refrigerator, and had removed a number of other items from her kitchen.
Some of the missing articles were found to be in the bags which the man was carrying when he was nabbed.
Vindud Ramnauth explained that he had heard a strange sound during the night, and later found that someone had removed three boots and other items from the shoe rack in his Lot 83 Palmyra Village home. Someone had also broken the window of his car, but had not entered the vehicle. The boots were among the items recovered in the bags.
A car belonging to Steve Samaroo of Lot 47 Palmyra Village was also broken into on Friday morning, but nothing was stolen therefrom.
Meanwhile, only some of the items discovered in the bags have been claimed by villagers between Palmyra and Seawell, East Coast Berbice.
