Gunmen hold up Balwant Singh’s clinic

Two gunmen barged into a doctor’s office on Camp Street just as he was finishing up his clinic yesterday and robbed him of money and other items.

Reports are that the men had an accomplice posing as a patient and shortly after entering Dr Balwant Singh’s clinic they sprung into action.

Armed with high-powered weapons the two men confronted the staff and forced them to the back of the clinic. Dr Singh who was with a patient at the time heard the commotion and went to investigate. The doctor walked right into the gunmen, according to reports, and was ordered back into his office. There, the men told him to lie flat and stripped him of his wallet, cellular phone and other valuables.

Stabroek News spoke with two staff members who said they were ordered into a room by the men. The men used duct tape to bind them, while two other employees were locked in a room. They were all traumatised.

It is not clear what happened to the patient, but no one was harmed. The men fired one shot, apparently meant as a warning to the staff members not to try anything.

“I was afraid but I just could not believe what was happening more than anything else,” one staff member commented.

After the men were through with the doctor they left the premises. Neighbours who were home at the time said they heard unusual sounds coming from the clinic, but when they looked over the front door was closed.

The front door of the clinic is never closed when the doctor is seeing patients so one neighbour said he thought it suspicious.

However he did not immediately check it out.

The police arrived on the scene shortly after and searched the area but came up empty. Late yesterday the doctor’s wallet was said to have been recovered.

Stabroek News attempted to speak with Dr Singh but was unsuccessful.