Cops kill two bandits in Berbice River shootout

-after gang raids ranch house

Amar Bissoon
Amar Bissoon

Two suspected bandits were killed by police in a shootout in the Berbice River yesterday morning, hours after they reportedly raided a ranch house as part of a six-man gang and stole livestock and other property.

The dead men have been identified as Indarjit ‘Danny’ Sham, 37, of Betsy Ground Village, and Amar ‘Punk’ Bissoon, 21, of Adelphi Settlement, East Canje, Berbice. Two other alleged gang members were arrested, while the remaining two were still being sought up to press time.

The shootout occurred at approximately 10 am yesterday, when the party of police that was responding to the report of a robbery at a ranch house at Potoko River, Berbice River, came under fire.

The livestock that was stolen from the ranch

“Soon after the lawmen disembarked their boat, they were confronted by the now dead men who discharged several rounds at them; the officers quickly adapted tactical positions, returned fire and fatally wounded the men who have been positively identified by the victims as members of the gang who committed the robbery,” the police force said in a statement last night.

Five hours earlier, the police explained, an armed gang of six men pounced on three labourers at the ranch and held them at gunpoint. The bandits then proceeded to steal livestock and other valuables, which they loaded on to a boat and then made good their escape.

The bandits stole 23 sheep, 15 ducks, a solar panel, a radio, a quantity of rope, and other valuables, which were all said to be the property of a 50-year-old businessman of Vryheid, West Canje, Berbice.

The bandits’ camouflage boat loaded with a solar panel that was stolen from the ranch.

Shortly after the robbery was committed, a report was made to police. A party of police, under the supervision of a senior detective, subsequently acted on intelligence and intercepted two of the six suspects in a boat on the Berbice River.

The statement added that after apprehending the two suspects, the police proceeded to a location where they found the stolen animals, with their legs bound, and the other stolen property loaded inside of a camouflage aluminum boat.

It was at this point that the men allegedly opened fire on the police, resulting in the fatal shootout.

A 12-gauge pump action shotgun, a .32 pistol, 11 live cartridges, and five live.32 rounds were found in possession of the bandits. Three spent cartridges and a .32 spent shell were also retrieved from the scene, the statement said.