Rose Hall money changers robbed, two men held

Two sons of a Rose Hall Town cambio dealer were robbed at gunpoint yesterday and police have since arrested two persons on the Corentyne suspected to be part of the five-man gang police have been hunting.

According to reports, Anil Sukraj, 26, and his brother Parsaram Sukraj, 17, who usually ply their trade as money changers in Rose Hall, were attacked around 08:30 hrs yesterday. One of the two men who attacked the brothers was masked and the other was armed with a handgun. Anil was robbed of $500,000, while his younger brother was robbed of $315,000.

According to the boys’ father, Baldeo Sukraj, known as ‘Money Man’, who was a few stalls away at the time of the robbery, the men came from the backdam, ran towards his sons, who were in the vicinity of Demerara Bank at Rose Hall and snatched their cash.

Baldeo Sukraj relates how his sons were robbed
Baldeo Sukraj relates how his sons were robbed

He stated that someone alerted him that his sons were being robbed. “Wen me a come, me hear one a dem a tell the other from the road, that ‘look he fadda a come.’ Wen me look me see, me two sons dem deh a ground. Dem tek way de money dem had in dem hand,” he said.

The father voiced concerns about the crime situation, he said that the perpetrators had been arrested on other occasions and placed on bail. The man who has changed money for over 25 years in Rose Hall Town said he and his sons are no longer safe to make an honest living there anymore.

He said Anil had been robbed three times and was even shot once.

Meanwhile, Commander of ‘B’ Division Ian Amsterdam disclosed that after the matter was reported, police, acting on information, went into Topu, Albion and arrested two persons. A search was conducted and a .32 pistol and 5 rounds were recovered. The commander said one of the men arrested had been in prison, but was pardoned by President David Granger. The other man, he said, was wanted in connection with the shooting of Samuel Fernandes at Reef, Rose Hall Town.

Amsterdam highlighted that the two men arrested were part of the five-man gang the police had been seeking and more robberies should be solved now that they have been caught.