Gunmen stage daring robbery outside prisons

Jun 16, 2008 News

NEW AMSTERDAM, BERBICE – Two gunmen staged a brazen robbery on Saturday night just about 200 yards from the gate of the New Amsterdam Prisons, and made a clean escape.

The victims, who did not want to be photographed, were robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash and $18,000 worth of jewellery right in front of their home at Penitentiary Walk in New Amsterdam.
Wolford Sancho, a 48-year-old, and his wife, 46-year-old Angela Sancho, both operate a business concern in the New Amsterdam Market and another at Strand and Pitt Streets.
Their drama began to unfold at just about 21:30 hours on Saturday. The couple had earlier closed business for the night and had driven home. After Mr. Sancho parked his car in front of his residence, which is right on the corner of Penitentiary Walk and Ferry Street, he was securing the trunk.
His wife had just stepped out of the vehicle, and was standing by the door on the passenger side, about to lock it. He recalled that he saw the two men as they strolled in his direction. “Two guys just come across and stick us up at gun point. No masks…both men had small arms.
They ordered me to lie on the ground, empty my pockets and tell me to hand over my phone. They got a silver band with gold on it worth about $18,000.” They ordered Mrs. Sancho to hand over whatever money she had, “They demanded – ‘Where the money deh?’ That (the money) was on the car seat. It was in a bag but you can’t estimate how much money right now, but it was in a normal business bag that had the money, her ID card, bank books, bank statement and other things.”
After the couple saw the guns they complied. The money represented what they had earned earlier in the day. “Everything happened within five minutes, not no big long thing. They say lie down on the ground and that’s it. By the time they get the bag I was already on the ground, but she did not have to lie down.” The men collected the loot and left on foot, “They left the same way they came. They came through Ferry Street into Penitentiary Walk.
When they were approaching they were coming slow, just casual. They retreat by walking a little distance and then start running.” Being a man around the town, he said, he still was unable to identify the bandits, “I don’t know them! You does know people, but you don’t know everybody. So I don’t know them.”
The matter was reported to Central Police Station about ten minutes later, “The Police responded quickly, but by then they had already cleared the way. The Police make some circles but they ain’t get anybody…so far.”

This is the first time he was the victim of an armed robbery, but had small incidents, “I am traumatized but fit to go.” The businessman said that never would he have imagined being robbed so close to home, and moreso that close to the New Amsterdam Prisons. “On the road, just on the corner, got street lights. So if you stop your car and you see these two persons coming around the corner you wouldn’t think it was bandits.
That is why I move so cautious, without fear, because it was so close. The guys said, ‘If you mek any noise both of y’all dead,’ so we didn’t make any noise. I think it was a well planned and executed act.”