Bandits broke and entered the house that was scorched and looted in Sophia on election night and carted off an estimated $2M in valuables in the wee hours of yesterday morning.
Narine Khublall, 49, proprietor of the house, which is located in ‘C’ Field, Sophia, said that his nephew and a longtime friend were both bound and beaten by the robbers, said to number about six, who demanded money and gold.
Khublall told Stabroek News that he was alerted to the attack around 1AM, when he received a call from his neighbour, who informed him that there were persons at the premises.
At the time, Khublall was on the West Coast of Demerara, where he has moved temporarily following the election night attack.
He said the house had been under police guard up to Saturday evening and he had since left his nephew and friend to stay and watch over the property.
According to Khublall, while he was on the phone call with his neighbour, he could have heard continuous banging on the house door. He later learnt that the men broke into the bottom flat, where they tied up his nephew, Shawn Ramjattan, like “an iguana” and continuously beat him while asking, “Where is the money and gold that Khublall got?”
After Ramjattan told them that he did not know about any such items, the men left him but not before taking his phone and about $4,000 in cash that he had on him. On the upper flat, the men confronted Lian Rampersaud, who Khublall referred to as his friend for years, and did the same as they did to Ramjattan.
“They take a brand new amplifier, 40 new bed sheets, a set of my daughter expensive birthday gifts, and a whole lot more of appliances I had in my house valued approximately $2M in cash,” said Khublall.
When the police arrived on the scene, Khublall said they took Rampersaud and Ramjattan to the Turkeyen Police Station. He alleged that the police could have arrested the robbers but did not. The police have not issued a statement on this incident.
He said he still does not know the reason for the police’s response while noting that he wants to be able to return to his home to live a normal life again.
Last week Monday night, Sophia residents set six vehicles alight, stoned two houses and burnt a small shack with a horse stable attached, after alleging that ballot boxes were in the PPP/C command centre located at Khublall’s home. One of the vehicles belonged to Khublall, who said its destruction was the reason he was unable to rush home after being alerted about the robbery. Khublall said he eventually got there hours after through public transportation.
