The Chinese owners of a Crown Dam, Industry supermarket were beaten and robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash yesterday afternoon in an attack by two bandits.
Fan Chuan Xia and Jin Xin Xie, the owners of the Prance Supermarket on the East Coast of Demerara were gun butted to their heads by the bandits, who later fled on motorcycles.
Investigators had some difficulties taking detailed reports from the owners due to the language barrier. However, the supermarket was equipped with surveillance cameras that recorded the attack.
The footage showed that around 2.53pm, the men entered the business and proceeded to the beverage aisle. They took out two beverages and headed back to the counter, where they hid their faces by tying rags over them.
One of the bandits turned around and gun-butted Xie, who was at the time restocking the refrigerator, while the other bandit entered the cashier area and attacked the man’s wife, Xia. She suffered injuries to her head and ear as a result of the blows that were inflicted.
The bandits collected money and phone cards from the cashier and also stole a quantity of cash that was hidden under a counter. They then escaped on two waiting motorcycles.
A witness told Stabroek News that he was on the street when the robbery occurred. According to him, he saw a CG motorcycle pull up at the supermarket and one of the bandits entered.
Not long after, he said, a second person entered. He explained that he didn’t pay attention to what was happening and only realised that the supermarket was robbed until after the attack.
The eyewitness said when the bandits exited the shop, one jumped on the motorcycle that was waiting outside the shop, while the other hopped on a bike that was parked in a nearby street.
Several supermarkets have been targeted by criminals in recent months. Last Saturday, the newly opened “Good Life” supermarket, also operated by Chinese nationals, at Land of Canaan, was robbed of millions by three men armed with weapons.
