Businesswoman
dupes gunmen at Annandale shopping centre
By Nigel Williams
Three young men armed with shotguns attempted to rob an Annandale
businessman in broad daylight yesterday, but their efforts were foiled
when the businessman's wife managed to escape the grasp of one of the
bandits and flee into a neighbour's yard.
Stabroek News understands that the youths are residents of the
immediate neighbourhood and one of them was positively identified
since he had frequented the business premises prior to yesterday's
attack.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, proprietor of Ace Shopping
Centre located at Annandale South, East Coast Demerara, Bhagwandin,
said that he was not home at the time but his wife, Hamagie, was in
the store when the three men entered around 10:30 am and asked her the
price of a bottle of skin cream.
Bhagwandin, a businessman for over five years, said his wife told him
that she went close to the counter and was about to respond to the men
when one of them held on to her blouse.
Wounded! Hamagie
Bhagwandin with her wounded right hand
yesterday.
Ace Shopping Centre located at Annandale South ECD.
(Clairmonte
Marcus photo) |
He said that while the man held her with one hand he hit her on her
head with his gun and also wounded her left hand as he demanded that
she give him all of the money.
Bhagwandin said that his wife told the bandit to take the money but he
made no effort to do so but rather kept holding on to her hand. He
reported that his wife wrestled with the man and succeeded in slipping
under the counter. She then crawled her way out of the shop, scaled a
fence and escaped into her neighbour's yard. He said that the men
stood behind the counter for a little while thinking that Hamagie had
gone to get the money for them and after realising that she was not
returning they ran south along the road and departed in the direction
of Buxton.
According to the businessman, his wife told him that the men were all
young and unmasked and one of them made purchases at the store every
now and then.
Bhagwandin said he was alerted that a group of young men from the
neighbourhood were in the habit of robbing residents of Coldingen at
night. He said that he had now become disgusted with the situation in
the country, noting that despite the many promises from the government
nothing has changed.
The businessman observed that his business place was fully grilled and
the fact that he was a businessman meant that he would be out on the
road most of the time. He urged that the government speed up the
process of issuing businessmen with high-calibre weaponry which he
said could aid in fighting against the hardened criminals who were
better equipped.
The man spoke about the presence of the Guyana Defence Force in the
neighbourhood, claiming that the armed ranks were only concentrating
their efforts in one area while the other villages were left
unattended.
Bhagwandin declared that despite all that was happening he would still
continue to operate his business. "How long will you hide and
close up your door because of bandits? After all you have to eat, you
have to survive some how, but this government must provide proper
protection for citizens," the businessman said.
Meanwhile, a report was made to the police who are carrying out
investigations.
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