In what was a well planned attack, gunmen yesterday snatched a bag containing $1.6M, raw gold and documents along with a licensed firearm from a Bartica miner as he was conducting business at a city store and fled shortly after in a car.

The taxi driver, who was being used by the man to transact his business at the various locations, was held shortly after the hold-up. He was still in police custody up to press time last night.

The armed bandits “who were ordinarily dressed” operated like professionals during the two-minute ordeal and calmly walked to a white car after they had executed their plan.

Police said in their press release that Nizam Kassim of Bartica was attacked and robbed by four men, one of whom was armed with a handgun around 9:25 am at Hadfield and High streets.

The release said that investigations have revealed that Kassim was using a taxi to transact his business in the city and while doing so at a business place he was about to collect his briefcase from the vehicle when he was confronted by the four men who held him up. The men took away the briefcase which contained his licensed .32 pistol and ammunition, a quantity of raw gold and $1.6 million cash and escaped in another vehicle.

However, Kassim, who owns and operates a store in Bartica had a different version of events when Stabroek News made contact with him yesterday afternoon.

According to the man he had just completed business at a location on High Street and decided to check out a wholesale depot nearby. This was the first time he was entering that store.

At this time, Kassim said that he had his weapon on his person and the driver who has been working with him for years, had a bag containing the cash, raw gold and important documents such as his passport and driver’s licence.

He said that after he looked around in the store he eventually made purchases to the tune of around $190, 000 and was about to get the money when a man pointed a gun at him and instructed him to lie on the floor.

Kassim said that he passed it off as a joke but soon realized that the man was serious after he turned around and saw two others. The taxi driver, who was holding the bag, put it on the counter and they both went down on the floor.

According to Kassim all three men were armed with handguns.

He said that one of the men grabbed the bag but another one saw his gun as he was getting down on the floor and that too was taken away.

The man said that there were other persons in the store and they all stood around in disbelief at the men carried out the robbery. Stabroek News understands that the store had no guard or security cameras.

He said that during the entire episode, the men kept their weapons trained on him. “Them men just reverse cool and calm”, the man recalled adding that they had an accomplice sitting in a white car outside. When they were outside the store, the men jumped into the vehicle and it sped away.

“This thing happen in the space of two minutes. All me documents them man tek…” the man said adding that the men were brazen to enter a big store which had some ten persons behind the counters.

Set up

“This was a set up thing man”, he said, his voice shaky. He told Stabroek News that he would come to Georgetown every week to buy goods for his store in Bartica.

He said that the taxi driver in custody would be the one to pick him up at his hospital and take him to various locations to conduct transactions.

He noted that yesterday morning the man came an hour early and there are reports that three men were in the car while he was on his way to pick him up.

Kassim was quick to point out that he knew the taxi driver for a number of years and he would be the one to transport him around when he is in the city.

“This thing really shake me up… They give me a small knock in my head with a gun when I was going down on the ground”, he told Stabroek News.

Police are continuing their investigations.