A Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara family was held at gunpoint by bandits and robbed of more than $1 million in cash, jewellery, gadgets and food items early Friday morning.
Shanti Luckram of Lot 77 Third Street, Little Diamond, told Stabroek News that she was resting in her living room at approximately 02:10 hrs, when she heard a knocking sound outside twice, but dismissed it and fell into a deep sleep. She then felt something hit her head and someone “hold me mouth telling me not to scream.” At first she thought it was her husband, who had been lying beside her in the living room.
However she opened her eyes and was confronted by an armed masked bandit, who told her not to make any noise. She glanced in the direction of her husband and saw him on the floor with his mouth taped. She said the bandit then stripped her of four silver bangles, a diamond ring and her wedding band. She said she realised there was a second bandit in the house when a demand was made for all the cash and jewellery.
Luckram said she directed them to where she had her husband’s two gold chains and $60,000. They were not satisfied and asked for more and were directed by her husband to US$550. According to Luckram the bandits were still not satisfied and declared that there was more money in the house, because they knew her husband worked at a sand pit.
“We had $200,000 and we give them it,” she added, only to have the bandits demand more. “If you see how they ransack the house,” Luckram stated. She said the two bandits, after helping themselves to beer, chocolates and apples from the fridge, searched the entire house and took everything valuable, including a laptop, four cellular phones and a large quantity of canned food from their kitchen cupboard.
The ordeal lasted some two hours, she said. And before making good their escape, the two bandits divided spoils between them and then asked her if she was okay. “I never prayed so much,” declared Luckram. She said she was grateful that no one was hurt. She said she attributed that fact to her begging the bandits to turn off the lights in the house, so as to avoid her children (aged nine and seven) waking up and making noise. “I was so scared for the kids,” said Luckram, “just didn’t want anything to happen to them,” she added. Luckram said she also had her niece and nephew of the same age in the house at the time of the robbery.
She said she later learnt from the security guard on duty that three bandits entered the yard and tied him up from the time she was up watching television around 01:00 hrs. She said the bandits cut through a mesh fence on the northern side of the premises. Two of them gained entry to the house through a window at the back, while one functioned as the lookout.
The estimated loss was $1.5 million, Luckram said, but mentioned that it could be more.
Neighbours said they had heard nothing out of the ordinary.
The police are investigating.
