Three cutlass-wielding bandits and a gun-toting accomplice raided the home of a Triumph gardener early Sunday morning and chopped him in the head before carting off an undisclosed sum of money.

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Sankar Ram of 152 Agriculture Road, Triumph East Coast Demerara sustained two blows to the head after the bandits could no longer bear his screams for help. He was later taken to a city hospital where he was treated and sent away.

Before wounding the man, the bandits had inflicted a severe beating on his son while demanding money from the family. The incident occurred around 12.30 am minutes after the family had retired to bed.

Yesterday, residents in the area bemoaned the incident and blamed the absence of street lights on the road as a reason for criminal activities in the area. They said it was impossible to see anything on the road after it got dark.

Ram's wife, Hemwattie Persaud was still visibly shaken yesterday when she recounted what happened. Persaud and Ram occupy the bottom half of the home and their two children share the upper flat with Ram's mother. Persaud recalled leaving her daughter just after 12 and retiring to bed downstairs.

Shortly after, Ram woke up to use the bathroom in the yard. Persaud said the men were already in the yard when her husband got up because as soon as he opened the door they were practically in the house.

"These guys were standing right there and when he open the door they push it and were inside. I just hear him screaming and knew right away that something was not right. When I looked out three of them were inside and one was guarding the door," the woman recounted.

The men seized Ram and started moving closer to the front door. Hearing their father's screams, the man's two children from upstairs went down to investigate and walked right into the bandits. The three cutlass-wielding men forced Ram's daughter and son back upstairs, then started beating the son.

After inflicting the beating they dragged him into the bedroom along with his sister and demanded that she open the wardrobe and hand over the money. She complied right away and handed over the money the family had in the home.

While on the way downstairs the men heard Ram screaming and went back to him. One of them chopped him twice before they escaped with the money.

Persaud said in their 29 years at Triumph the family was never robbed. She said the attack was sudden and it was over in no time. The woman said her husband could not stop screaming after the men went in on them.

Neighbours heard the screams and telephoned the police. The family also rang the police station at Beterverwagting after the incident but police only visited the home some five hours later, after the family went to the station.

Persaud said the robbery has made her more fearful. She said the men did not wear masks but she could not identify them if called upon to do so. She also lamented the situation with the street lights.