– face was tightly bound; bandits escape with over $1M
Bandits struck at a Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara home early yesterday morning, tightly trussing the three female occupants, including an elderly woman, who died during the course of the hour-long incident.
Dead is Budhia called ‘Rony’, 68, of Lot ‘F’ Conservancy Dam, Canal Number Two. Her hands, feet and face tightly bound with duct tape and rope, the pensioner, in her last moments, gasped for breath, even as the bandits relieved the family of more than $1 million in cash and jewellery.
Budhia’s daughter, Basmattie Rampersaud called ‘Sandy’ and Basmattie’s daughter Shivanie heard as Budhia gasped for breath, but were powerless to do anything.
Terrorizing the women for about an hour in a well-planned attack as music blasted in a neighbour’s yard, the bandits went about unhindered. Police did not arrive until some 45 minutes after first being called, the traumatized victims said.
Police sources last evening disclosed that a man had been detained in connection with the robbery.
One of the bandits carried a handgun, while another was armed with a knife. It was some time after mid-night that she heard her mother screaming, Rampersaud said. She told Stabroek News that she ran over to the elderly woman’s room and saw three men on the bed, restraining her. “One of them jump off the bed and scramble me and tell me shut my f…ing mouth and put me to lie on the ground,” the emotional woman stated.
Her hands and mouth were bound with duct-tape by the mask-wearing men, who warned her not to look at them. Budhia was taken off the bed and placed on the floor, while another of the bandits went into the other bedroom where 13-year-old Shivanie was. He grabbed her off the bed, placed her to lie on the living room floor, bound her with tape and then took her to her grandmother’s room, where she too, was placed to lie on the floor. Shivanie said two rings were removed from her fingers and her eyes, mouth and hands were bound with tape.
Rampersaud recalled that the bandits demanded cash and jewellery. “I tell dem to loose me and I gon give them but they seh no, just show dem where it is,” she stated. The bandits ransacked the home and grabbed some items.
But they were not satisfied and demanded more asserting that there was more. Shivanie said that at this point one of the bandits asked her grandmother for money but the woman could barely manage to make a sound. One of the bandits then threatened to rape Shivanie and her grandmother then revealed where she had her savings and jewellery.
Rampersaud and Shivanie said that was the last sound, they heard Budhia make. Shivanie said that her grandmother had been “gasping” before but after that, she fell silent.
The bandits took over $1 million worth in jewellery, $150,000, US$120 and Cdn$110. They also took a carton of cigarettes, two cellular phones and drank some beers before leaving.
Rampersaud recalled that during the ordeal, she had been taken to the room she shared with Shivanie, placed on the bed and had her feet bound. She said one of the men told her, “Babes, I din come to do this. I didn’t cooperate with them to do this.”
She said she also heard one of the men on a phone, apparently calling someone. She said a car was mentioned and then there was silence.
Shivanie related that before they left, one of the bandits patted her on the head and told her “we’re leaving lil girl, take care”.
The grieving girl said that once they had left, she struggled to free herself and managed to free her hand and loosen the tape from her eyes and mouth. She said she saw her grandmother lying there motionless, and attempted to awaken her. “I just keep shaking her, she couldn’t move.”
Rampersaud, who had also managed to free herself, by this time, also attempted to revive Budhia but got no response, not even when they sprinkled water on her. There was froth on her mouth, they said.
They then called a neighbor and told him what had happened.
Up to then, music was still blasting at another neighbour’s home. However, after they went over to relate the news, it was turned off. Other residents were alerted.
Shivanie said they called 911 repeatedly, but no one answered the phone. She said they also called the La Grange and Wales police stations but received no answer. “It took long but then La Grange answer the phone,” she said.
Relatives from Georgetown, who had alerted about the incident and were on their way to the Canal Number Two home, told this newspaper that they stopped at the La Grange Police station but found it in darkness. They then went to the Wales Police station, where they were told that police had already gone to the scene.
“They took a really long time to come after we call them,” Shivanie said stating that this was about 45 to 50 minutes after the first call was placed. She declared that the police arrived around 2.15 am.
Grieving relatives gathered at the home yesterday. Budhia was remembered as someone who was very friendly. The relatives lamented that the woman, who often worked in her garden, was not sick but healthy when she died.
Police said they are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination as investigations continue.
