Armed bandits rob vendors in NA mosque compound

Three armed bandits escaped with $210,000 around 2:45 am yesterday after attacking three West Demerara provision/fruit vendors who were resting in their canter truck that was parked in the compound of the New Amsterdam mosque.

Two of the bandits carried a gun and another one had a cutlass which he used to “broadside” Imran Mohamed, 21 of Good Fortuin while demanding that he hand over the money. Another bandit kept watch at the gate as his accomplices carried out their act.

Imran told Stabroek News that the bandits first pounced on his brother, Khaleel Mohamed, 24 and a worker, Rovindra Gobin who were sleeping in their hammocks in the tray of the truck and told them “don’t make noise or we gon shoot.”

They then asked Khaleel for “the one that does keep the money,” referring to Imran. The bandits subsequently went to the cabin of the truck where Imran was sound asleep. He said he was rudely awakened by loud knocking on the window.

He rolled down the window slightly and one of the bandits pointed a gun to his head and ordered him to get out of the truck. His first instinct, he said was to roll up the window and drive away but he decided to exit the truck and co-operate after thinking about what would happen to Khaleel and Gobin.

He said the bandits demanded the cash and when he told him he did not have any they started to “broadside me with the cutlass.” they called out to the third bandit and told him they were not getting anything and he said to “chop him.”

He then told the bandits that the money was with the persons living in the house in the compound and one of them placed a gun to his head and ordered him to retrieve it.

He said the bandit followed him to the bottom of the stairs with the gun still trained at him while he knocked on the door and called out to the occupants to give him the money because “the watermelon man” had come for it.

Imran said after he gave the bandit the money they told him to “go back into the truck and lie down” and he saw when they jumped the fence and escaped.

A member of the household said her husband opened the door and she passed out the money which was within hand reach.

She said she found it strange that the man would make payments for watermelon at that hour but did not think that anything was amiss.

The woman said that after the man left she looked out in the yard and it appeared as though another person was hugging Imran.

She did not realize that the person was carrying a gun but saw when he left the yard shortly after with someone else. According to the woman she had gotten up at around 2:30 am to answer a call of nature and had heard “a noise and people talking.” However, she did not see anything funny and went back to bed.

Meanwhile Imran said that in the past persons carried out petty robberies on his truck but this is the first time that weapons were used. No arrests have been made so far.