A Grove, East Bank Demerara family was held captive early yesterday morning during an hour-long rampage by bandits, who later fled with a motor car and more than one million dollars worth of money, jewellery and electronics.
Up to press time last evening, police were still searching for members of the gang, numbering around five, who carried out the home invasion.
Reports are that around 3 am, two masked gunmen entered the Lot 886 Section C, Block Y, Golden Grove residence of Rajesh Roopnarine and his wife Sussheila. The men removed louvre panes from a window located next to a side step. They then used a piece of wood to create a makeshift walkway between the banister of the staircase and the window sill. Once inside, two of the bandits attacked the couple while several others stood guard in the yard. The couple’s son, Brijanand Vicky Dookie, who was asleep in a nearby room, was then attacked.
At the home, around midday yesterday, several police ranks were still conducting investigations.
A distraught Sussheila recounted that she turned in her sleep and opened her eyes to find two masked men sitting in her bedroom. Before she could react, they pounced and instructed her not to scream. She said her husband was hit in the face by one of them.
According to Sussheila, the duo began demanding that they hand over all their jewellery and without hesitation the couple pointed to a wardrobe in the bedroom, where some valuables were hidden. The gunmen demanded the keys and after finding what was hidden there, they began ransacking the room and demanding more valuables.
An emotional Sussheila said that the men found about $600,000 worth of jewellery and about $300, 000 cash. Still not satisfied, the men entered another bedroom and dragged Dookie off his bed and into the living room, where he was bound and gagged with tape the men had brought with them. The couple was also bound and gagged as the men continued to ransack the room. The phone lines were cut and during the ordeal both Rajesh and his son were gun-butted by the bandits.
This newspaper was told that the bandits were selective about what they took. They removed perfumes, a camera, DVD players and cellular phone. The two bandits and their accomplices then fled in Rajesh’s car, a 170 Corolla bearing number plate PGG 1398, which was parked in the yard.
The still shaken man told this newspaper late yesterday afternoon that there was no trace of the vehicle. He said that he along with other persons searched the Timehri area, parts of the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and several East Bank Demerara villages to no avail.
The vehicle is painted cherry red and it has the words “Cash Money” inscribed at the top of the windscreen. Rajesh urged persons who may have spotted it to contact the nearest police station.
Sussheila said it was the first time that bandits had invaded the home in the six years she has been residing in the area. She, however, noted that robberies in her area occur regularly and yesterday she pleaded with the police to do more to protect residents. “The police ain’t helping…I want the police to keep up their presence at nights,” she said, while adding that the police always have an excuse when calls are made to the station in the area.
She said they managed to free themselves when the bandits left and they raised an alarm. The neighbours called the police to inform them of what had transpired but according to Sussheila, the rank who answered the phone said they had to come themselves and make a report.
The woman said that subsequently a relative went to the said police station to transport a rank but when he arrived the ranks there were asleep.
The family was suspicious that the five-man gang that wounded two men during a robbery on the Grove Public Road on Monday night later invaded their home. Sometime after 9 pm on Monday, Hancel Alleyne and Horace Cupidore were shot. The perpetrators later escaped in Cupidore’s car.
