US-based Guyanese robbed at gunpoint during home invasion

– only arrived in Guyana on Thursday

Fifty-eight-year-old Paulette Holder, an overseas-based Guyanese nurse was on Friday evening robbed at gunpoint by two armed men who invaded her Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice property. The nurse only arrived back home from the United States on Thursday.
Police stated that the robbery took place at about 21:00h on the day in question by two men who were dressed in dark-coloured clothing – one of them was wearing a face mask and was armed with a handgun. The other was brandishing a knife.

Holder was reportedly in her bedroom when she was confronted by the masked man, who pointed the handgun at her head and demanded that she hand over the cash. Fearful for her life, she handed over a purse containing about G$275,000.
After committing the act, the two men escaped on foot. Holder is originally from Berbice and now resides in New Jersey, USA.
The seemingly traumatised nurse told Guyana Times that she would come home annually to keep a thanksgiving service. The service was scheduled for Sunday.
She explained that on Friday evening, she was preparing to go out with two of her old friends while her two nieces were in another bedroom packing goodies into bags for the Thanksgiving service when she was confronted by one of the bandits.
‘I couldn’t recognise him because he had a ski mask, he had a gun in his hand and immediately he took it and put it right my forehead and pushed me right back into the room and said give me all the f***ing money that you come with.”
Holder said she had $275,000 in her room at the time which was mostly to purchase groceries and other stuff in preparation for Sunday.
“I was going out and did not put on my earring as yet, he grabbed the earing but after he get the cash, he continued to push me with the gun and ask if that’s all and where is the US currency but at that time in the room, I had no US currency in that room,” she explained.

Holder further related that the intruders also relieved her of a gold chain.
She stated that as the bandit was leaving her room, he came into contact with her two nieces who came out of the room after she shouted “uninvited visitor” in a loud tone.
“I said, ‘Oh my God, I am going to give you all of the money’, because I just wanted to alert them that somebody was in the room with me. That is when they came out of the room. I did not know that there was a second person in the house, he was right in front of the middle room and that time they came face to face with him.”
She said her nieces said the man they confronted was unarmed. “But this one was persistent because he wanted the US currency from me.”
However, the masked bandit and one of Holder’s nieces were engaged in a scuffle. “My niece, she recognised him immediately even though he had on the ski mask. She called his name, ‘Simon’. Three times she called his name. She knew him because he always passes and he would say, ‘Hi Aunty Sharron’.”
She related that the men escaped with in excess of $400,000 in cash and jewellery. The men reportedly gained entry to the house through the back door which was open at the time.
The woman further stated that during the robbery, one of her friends with whom she was going out was outside of the house waiting on her.
Meanwhile, the Police were summoned to the scene and immediately launched an investigation. Based on the information provided to the Police, the ranks went to a house in the village and subsequently returned with a ski mask that was worn by one of the bandits.
The Police are yet to make an arrest as investigations continue. (Andrew Carmichael)