-bandits, cops trade fire
After being shot by bandits during a robbery at their Cornelia Ida home on Thursday night Bridgemohan Kemlall was yesterday in a stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
The man and his younger brother Premanand sustained gunshot wounds during a robbery at their Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara home in which cash and a quantity of jewellery were taken by two intruders. Premanand, who was shot in his left thigh and arm, was discharged from a private hospital on Saturday.
Their mother, Pharbattie Kemlall, told Stabroek News yesterday that her eldest son was doing fine when she visited him yesterday. She said he was experiencing slight pains about the body but his condition had improved from the day before.
She added that the bullets were still lodged in his body yesterday but noted that he was expected to undergo another operation to have them removed. She said the police have been visiting the family each day since the incident as they carry out investigations into the robbery.
The brothers were shot and their mother assaulted when two armed men, wearing masks, entered their yard and demanded money and jewellery. Pharbattie related on Friday that the incident occurred about 8:45pm on Thursday evening and lasted approximately 15 minutes.
She said at the time, she and her sons were at home—she and Bridgemohan were sitting in their yard while her younger son Premanandat was in his room at his computer. The two gunmen gained entry to the yard by scaling the back fence. Having surprised the pair, they pushed them into the house despite their screams. “We were yelling to the top of our voices, I never expected that to happen,” Pharbattie said while noting that they made no attempts to resist. She said that they kept telling the men that they did not have any valuables since they are a poor family, but this was not heeded as the demands continued.
Premanandat was shot when he came outside, however, his mother said it appeared as if he did not know he was injured and attempted to get a cutlass from the back yard when he realized he was injured.
He, however, managed to make it over the fence to the neighbour’s yard. A search of the house was then conducted by the men while the mother and her sons were made to lie on the floor while being hit on their heads with the robbers’ guns. The men then collected whatever money they found in the house and Pharbattie’s earrings.
As the men were about to leave, Bridgemohan was shot as he got up. Pharbattie said that she was still inside when she heard the shots and her son screaming “Mommy, I get shot, I get shot.” When she was sure that the men had left, she came outside to see her son lying on the floor. With the help of neighbours, the injured men were taken to Best Hospital before being transferred to the GPH.
The police, in a release, said that they were investigating the incident. According to police, the men robbed the family of $20,000 cash, a small quantity of jewellery and a cellular phone. Several ranks responded to the scene and returned fire after they were fired upon by the bandits and the police noted that one of the bandits may be wounded since there was evidence of blood at the scene.
