Two persons were hospitalized after a large gang of heavily armed bandits stormed Lesbeholden South, Black Bush Polder area on Monday wreaking havoc and robbing four families and the police last night reported that a "special team" has been dispatched to the area.

 

Dhanraj Bisham, 17, who was shot by the bandits and Vijay Deonarine who was beaten on his head are patients at the New Amsterdam Hospital. Some of the bandits carried long guns which residents believed were machine guns since shots were fired rapidly. The gunmen used crow bars and other house-breaking implements to gain entry to the four homes. The police yesterday said the gang comprised around seven men but residents of the predominantly agricultural community in East Berbice told Stabroek News that around 15 bandits were involved. The police said the attack occurred between 9.15 pm and 9.35 pm.

Crow bars

 

Dhanraj was at a get-together with his family when he heard the "loud noise" and ran to the front of the yard. He was then hit on his upper right leg by a bullet. His brother, Tiwari, said Dhanraj saw a group of men standing there and mistakenly took them for villagers.

"He was about to ask the men where the shots were coming from when they fired at him."

The bullet exited his leg. Tiwari said the bullet probably felt cold because his brother ran into the house and told them that the bandits threw "cold water" on him. But shortly after, he fell and his family realized he was shot. They waited until it was safe to rush him to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Residents said yesterday morning they recovered a plastic bag full of spent shells which they handed over to the police. The police statement last evening said that they retrieved a quantity of spent shells and live rounds.

The bandits struck first at the home of Kamini Ramnarine who operates a general store and off-licence liquor restaurant. She said she and her 15-year-old daughter were watching "Deal or no Deal" on television in the lower flat when they saw a lock in the storeroom being turned.

They immediately realized something was amiss and started screaming and used an inner door to run upstairs, closed the door behind them and hid there. As they ran they heard the door being pounded upon loudly. The men managed to wrench open a grill door and broke the two other wooden doors and eventually gained entry to the top flat and ransacked the house.

The bandits emptied a jewellery box and removed all the gold jewellery, leaving the costume ones behind and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and a Motorola cell phone. She said one bandit entered first and apparently let the others in. Kamini said after the men left they found a bag containing what appeared to be house-breaking tools close to the gate.

Neighbours told Stabroek News that they saw what transpired and they started shouting, "thief, thief" but the bandits fired several shots in their direction and fled further into the village.

Stabroek News learnt that the other resident who was hospitalized, Vijay Deonarine, 26, was returning home on his motorcycle along with a friend, Anand, when he was attacked by the bandits. The bandits dragged him off the bike and started hitting him in his face, a neighbour, Roy Singh said.

He said the men then entered Deonarine's house where his wife Debbie was sleeping with their one-month old baby. When this newspaper visited the area yesterday Debbie had gone to visit her husband at the hospital.

According to Singh, the bandits used a sledgehammer to try to break the door on the lower flat but gave up and started to pound on the door in the upper flat instead. But that, too, did not open and one of the bandits broke a window and jumped in, while another bandit smashed his way in through the glass door on the veranda. They then let two others in and entered the room where Debbie was with her baby.

"They place a gun to the baby head and threaten fuh kill the baby if she did not hand over everything," the man said.

He said she gave the bandits $30,000 and a small quantity of gold jewellery and they fled but not before removing a large bottle of juice from the refrigerator.

Forty-eight-year-old Khemraj Seeram heard the gunfire and said when he looked out he saw the gunmen. He turned off his lights and hid in the veranda while observing them.

The next thing he knew they headed into his yard. They made their way into the bottom flat of his home after pounding it open with a hammer. But they encountered his "trap door" that led to the upper flat and ran out back and decided to break the door on the upper flat instead.

But that effort, too, proved futile for the bandits and they made their way over to his neighbour, Ishwar Deram's house instead and proceeded to beat him in the presence of his wife and five children.

The bandits, determined to rob Seeram, returned and he heard them saying, "this house gat to have money." They fired a shot above the door and it exited through the zinc on the roof.

They continued battering the door until they succeeded and used flashlights to switch on the lights in the house. They discovered Seeram's wife, Radika "Nanda" Moonsammy hiding behind a wall divider with their two sons, ages five and 10, and three of the bandits pointed guns at them and ordered them to come out.

The bandits put her to sit on a chair while she clutched her children and another told her "don't watch we or we gon shoot."

By this time, Seeram, who was afraid the bandits would hurt his family, decided to come out of his hiding place in the veranda and told them to "tek everything you want but leave my family alone."

One of the bandits kicked him on his shoulder and another gun-butted him on his nose and ordered him to lie face-down on the floor. After ransacking the house the men left with $53,000, two gold rings and a Seiko wristwatch.

Deram, 32, recounted that he awoke to the loud sounds coming from Seeram's house. He switched on his lights and by the time he could look out, the bandits were already in his yard. Two of the bandits broke down his door in the bottom flat while two others pounded on the "upstairs door" and told him to "open up."

Deram said the bandits placed a gun to his head and dealt him about six cuffs on his face and head and ordered him to lie face down on the floor. Meantime, his wife Lilowtie Kalyan, 28, said "ah beg them [bandits] not fuh hurt me husband and me tell them me gon give them whatever they want… and they tell me 'alright move.'" She said she gave the bandits $10,000 cash and about $20,000 in jewellery.

Yesterday, residents said apart from a recent incident when Rosignol greens vendor, Shaizad Ally was shot and robbed, the area did not experience such a robbery in 15 years.

As they gathered to comfort their neighbours residents were still unable to come to terms with the incident which has shattered the peace in their community.