$1/2M demanded for missing teen
A $500,000 ransom has been demanded for the return of a 14-year-old girl who
went missing on Saturday. The ransom demand came yesterday to the girl's
mother Usha Persaud of Number 58 Village,
Corentyne from a female caller. Reports reaching this newspaper stated that
the teenager was last seen at around 21:00 hours on Saturday when she left her
home. The following day the girl's mother reported to police that her daughter
was missing.
According to reports, a female caller telephoned Persaud and enquired if she
had missed her daughter.
When the mother replied in the affirmative, the caller told her that if she
wanted her daughter she must deliver $500,000 at the Abary Bridge, West Coast
Berbice by 02:00 hours this morning.
Businessman
killed in brutal robbery
-
stabbed 15 times, wife's hand chopped off while 13-year-old hides in bedroom
- Tracker dog leads police to nearby house - five held
BANDITS launched a brutal attack on a Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara family,
hacking a businessman to death and severing his wife's right hand early
yesterday morning. Forty-five-year old Davechand
Appana was
stabbed about 15 times about his body. His wife Hemrajie, called Dato,
sustained several chops and has reportedly lost her right hand.Their
13-year-old daughter, Aruna hid under her bed during the 30-minute reign of
terror that rocked the little East Coast Demerara village. The attack occurred
at about 2:00 hours when five bandits broke their way into the family's Cinema
Road Non Pareil home and began demanding money. Police have since detained six
persons after they were led to a house in the neighbouring village of Melanie
Damishana, by their tracker dog 'Proud'. This was the fourth time that the
family has been robbed and it followed last Sunday's attack on the
businessman's sister and her family who live two doors away. According to
reports, two of the bandits gained entry to the Appana's house by smashing a
window after climbing unto their verandah. Three of their accomplices kept
watch in the yard.
In the process of entering the house, the bandits pushed down a large
television set, smashing it and obviously making noise that roused the
household. It was raining at the time and some of the neighbours were aroused.
One neighbour said that she witnessed the entire event but she said that she
is afraid to come forward to report what she saw. Another neighbour who had
suffered from a bandit attack heard the screams but past events caused a flood
of old emotions to surface and rendered her speechless.
The bandits forced the couple from their bedroom into their shop downstairs
and demanded cash and jewelry.
It is believed that the businessman put up a fight with the bandits, who
proceeded to stab him with scissors and knives. One view is that the bandits
stabbed him every time he failed to hand over money in keeping with their
demands.
Thirteen-year old Aruna Appana who was asleep in her bedroom at the time of
the attack, told Kaieteur News that she was awakened by her mother's screams.
"I heard mom and dad hollering for thief and I hear the men asking for
money and jewelry. They took them (parents) downstairs," she recalled.
The teenager said she heard her mother saying, 'Oh me God, don't do we
nothing'.
She then heard the men asking for jewelry.
"My mother turn and told them, 'y'all done get all from de last time we
get rob'. Then I heard my father hollering, then a loud crashing sound."
Then there was complete silence.
All the while, the teenager had secured herself in her room, fearing that if
the bandits had seen her, they would have abducted her.
"I only came out when I heard like persons jumping over the fence. I had
already called the Cove and John Police Station. Then my mother came upstairs
with her nighty full of blood," Aruna Appana said before bursting into
tears.
She said the police arrived shortly after, but could not locate their house.
"I had to come out and call them," the teenager added. By then
neighbours began arriving, and leaving a few ranks at the scene, the police
hurried Mrs. Appana to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was
immediately admitted.
Kaieteur News understands that apart from losing her hand, the woman also
sustained a fractured skull, from a wound to her head.
She underwent surgery and up to late yesterday afternoon was reportedly
resting comfortably in a stable but serious condition.
Her husband received seven stabs in his back, two in his neck, two to his
chest and other wounds to both sides of his face.
It was reported that the bandits made off with $100,000 representing money
handed over by the now dead businessman when they accosted him.
Other family members were contacted and they along with several residents of
the community converged on the scene.
"Why dey didn't chop out he hand and lef he alive?" one relative
cried.
"Dave why you had to fight with dem?" another remarked.
Using a tracker dog, the police were led to a house, where they arrested five
persons, including a woman and a minibus driver, who is said to be a relative
of a former senior police officer.
While no shots were fired, police said that they recovered three 7.62 live
rounds, which is used by the deadly AK-47 assault rifle and also by the M-70
rifle that is standard police fare.
The Appanas had recently bought a house in Enterprise and were planning to
move there, after putting up the Non Pareil house for sale.
"He nah hear nah go live ah Non Pareil. Alyuh nah hear," cried the
dead man's son who did not live with his father. Early Monday morning the dead
man's sister, Latchmin, was the victim of a bandit attack.
The woman claimed that she was forced to hide under her bed with her daughter,
while the men held her husband at gunpoint in the yard. It was around 2:55
hours.
The woman said that her husband had gone to the outhouse and was returning
inside when a tall man in camouflage clothing confronted him. They forced him
to lie on the ground and placed their foot on his neck. She said that her
husband eventually called out to them and when her daughter checked she saw
the bandit.
She ran back upstairs and with her mother bolted themselves in the house.
"They tell we dat they gone bun down de house if we don't come out. But
we call de police," Latchmin Appana told Kaieteur News. The men fled with
the family's DVD player. The Non Pareil area has been the target of criminals
ever since the crime wave began in 2002.
Last year December another resident who lived between the now dead Davechand
Appana and his sister Latchmin, was shot dead in another robbery.
The man, a rice vendor was returning home when the gunmen confronted him on
the bridge.
His wife is still stunned. She, like others are contemplating moving out. Many
others have shut up their homes and have left
State_of_Emergency Death threats
