Three arrested after bandits shoot Cromarty man in face

Deeraj Kumar
Deeraj Kumar

The police in Berbice have arrested three persons after an attack at Cromarty, where bandits shot a man to his face after they invaded his home on Tuesday evening.

Balram Kumar, 22, was shot to the left side of his face and also broadsided about his body with a cutlass when the three armed bandits invaded their house, where the family has a grocery shop. The bandits also broadsided the man’s father, businessman Deeraj Kumar, 52, about his body before escaping with $280,000 in cash and a small quantity in jewellery.

Both men are presently hospitalised at the Anamayah Memorial Hospital located on the Corentyne.

Balram Kumar

Police were searching the area up to last evening and at least three persons had been held for questioning.

The wife of the businessman, Asha Kumar, 48, of Lot 6 Cromarty Farm, Corentyne yesterday said that she was in her kitchen dishing out food for her son when she heard her husband shouting, “Ow! Ow! Don’t beat me!” The woman noted that she looked out and saw three bandits in front of their shop and she immediately ran to the backyard, where she hid throughout the attack.

“While me deh hide a backyard, me hear them come in the kitchen and ask me son ‘you belly full?’ So, me son does talk easy; me na hear wah me son talk. Then me hear how them start beat me son, them get am a ground. Bare blood deh, she recounted. “Them get he daddy outside, beat am and broadside am with cutlass and every lash he a holla… Me son lie down and a take he licks and na even gee em and me husband a holla,” she added.

According to the woman, one bandit, who was armed with a shotgun, had a kerchief tied around his face, while the other two perpetrators, who were unmasked, were armed with cutlasses. “Them ask for money and ask for jewellery; na talk about cuss!” she said.

Kumar explained that the men, after spending more than 30 minutes, escaped into the backlands through the same route they used to enter, which is located next to her house.

The woman further stated that the police arrived minutes after they were phoned.