Bandits in
Vergenoegen raids THREE
10-year-old boys got the scare of their lives when three
armed bandits broke into their family home at Vergenoegen,
East Bank Essequibo, ransacked it and carried away more
than $1M in cash, jewellery and other items.
Men
removed a brand new lap
top computer worth Cdn$3,000
Gavin,
Vikash and Kemchand Persaud (cousins) huddled together
under their sheets and pillows Monday night as the men
removed a brand new lap top computer worth Cdn$3,000, more
than $200,000 in jewellery and some $450,000 from the home
at Lot 38 Quan Street, Vergenoegen.
BANDIT
RAID:
Caretaker of the boys, Basmattie Persaud,
points to a wardrobe that was ransacked by
the bandits. Next to her are Vikash and
Gavin who were in the house at the time.
MISSING:
Fazil Ibrahim shows the lock missing from
his chicken pen after bandits broke it off
to gain entry.
The
money was being saved to build a house, relatives said.
Relatives
yesterday said that family members from overseas in Guyana
for a wedding which took place Sunday, were in the house
at Lot 24 (opposite the one that was robbed). They said
they were all on the verandah and completely unaware of
what was happening.
The
boys said the men wore black clothes and carried big guns.
Men wore black clothes and
carried big
guns
The
gunmen also helped themselves to servings of leftover
cake, drink and candies during the 15-minute robbery,
family members said.
"When
we woke up the next morning, candy and cake was all
through the house and in the yard", one said.
Canadian-based
Guyanese Rena Persaud who was the bride on Sunday, related
that the men moved through the house, cursing and just
grabbing anything they could find, including passports for
family members which are still missing.
The
men then fled the area on two bicycles they stole from a
neighbour the same night.
Another
family, in Levans Street in the village, said they also
suffered at the hands of bandits on Monday night.
Farmer
Fazil Ibrahim said he and his wife Bibi Khan awoke around
01:30 hrs to the sound of the lock on their chicken pen
being broken.
Ibrahim
said that by the time he armed himself with a cutlass and
went downstairs, the men had already left and he only saw
his gate swinging. However, the men removed a bicycle and
six roles of wire mesh from the yard.
He
said the mesh would have been used to extend his chicken
pen.
The
couple lamented that they are trying to make an honest
living and are being attacked by bandits
