Ryhaan Shah displeased with police probe of car robbery

Guyana Times columnist Ryhaan Shah, who was robbed at gunpoint of her car over a week ago is disappointed with the manner in which the matter is being investigated and is calling for a thorough probe so that the perpetrators can be apprehended.

Shah told Stabroek News on Saturday that up to that point there had been no progress with the investigation despite her providing the police with valuable information.

She said she contacted the investigating rank, Sgt Ross  and informed him that she had some information on a possible lead but efforts to contact him afterwards had provided futile.

The frustrated Shah is therefore of the belief that the police have no interest in solving the crime. She said she has even provided them with contact information for a witness, who to date was not contacted.

“It is very obvious that the police have absolutely no interest in solving this crime”, Shah said while noting that she is very disappointed with the lack of response.

“Where does anyone go for help if the police themselves show absolutely no interest?” she questioned.

Several efforts by Stabroek News to contact the police on Saturday for an update on the matter proved futile.

Shah was robbed of her motor car and a quantity of other valuables around 1.20pm two Saturdays ago shortly after returning to her Irving Street home from grocery shopping.

“I turned onto my bridge, high day time with people on the road. Cars were passing up and down. I got out of the car to open the gate because everything was locked and I was not aware of anything,” Shah had related to this newspaper.

She had explained that just as she was about to open her gate an armed bandit grabbed onto her hands and started to wrestle with her.

“Suddenly there was a guy pushing a gun to me and I had my key in my hand and he’s holding my hands so I am thinking that he was after my watch. But then we started scrambling and he has the gun to my head and he pulled the keys out and threw it to another guy who was already by the driver’s seat,” Shah recalled.

Stabroek News had previously reported that three men then jumped into Shah’s Silver-Grey Toyota Allion, PLL 1127, and escaped north along Vlissengen Road, leaving the woman stranded in front of her house.

Luckily for Shah, one of her neighbours, who was in the vicinity searching for her lost dog, noticed the attack and went to her aid.

After her neighbour came to her rescue, the duo went to the Alberttown Police Station, where she said she was disappointed again. Shah related that the policeman explained that he wanted to revisit the scene of the crime but did not have a vehicle to take him. As a result, Shah’s neighbour had to take the policeman back to the scene and then back to the police station.

In July 2015, Shah was robbed during an attack outside her Irving Street home.

Shah told Stabroek News that the robbery occurred as she was about to enter her home. She said she had just returned home and left the gate open after parking her car in the garage, when two men pounced on her and demanded her handbag.

Shah said she told the men that nothing was in the handbag and they subsequently whipped out their handguns. Immediately, Shah said she handed over the bag and the men ran away with it. Her handbag included her cellular phone and a small amount of cash. Shah said the total value of what was stolen was just over $100,000. Her bag also included her identification card and driver’s licence.