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Bandits target Nismes service station
Owner of the store Jikishan Naipal examines the padlocks that kept the room secured
The inability to break into a service station at Nismes, West Bank Demerara, irritated two bandits to such an extent that they decided to firebomb the facility instead.
According to reports reaching this newspaper, it was around 01:30 hours yesterday when two men sporting dreadlocks entered the compound of the J and R Service Station.
At the time a security guard and a pump attendant were on duty and they did not believe that anything criminal was afoot.
It was not until one of the two dreadlocked men whipped out what was described as a ‘black gun’ and pointed it in their direction that the two realised that they were in a dilemma.
The staffers reported that the men ordered them to ‘pass it over’, which they understood to mean all the money that they had.
A total of $17,500 which represented fuel sales was confiscated by the bandits who then warned them not to move otherwise they would be killed.
And as if they were not satisfied with the taking, the two daring bandits reportedly engaged in a failed attempt to access a storage room of the facility, which according to owner, Jikishan Naipal, housed more than $1 M worth of motor oils and lubricants.
The bandits first broke the glass access door to the storage room but were unable to open a grill door although they desperately struggled to break two padlocks that kept it secured.
After recognising that they could not break the padlocks the men then proceeded to light makeshift bombs commonly known as ‘channa bombs’, which they had apparently brought with them.
Two of the bombs were flung into the storage room but only one ignited, starting a fire which quickly engulfed some flammable content of the room.
According to Naipal, about $80,000 of products that were housed in the store room were damaged during the fire which was eventually contained by the two staffers with the aid of fire extinguishers after the bandits speedily escaped on foot.
Naipal related that he was at home when he received a call from one of his employees informing him of what had transpired. He said that he raced to the service station and was greeted by his traumatised employees who related the entire ordeal to him even as he scoured the area to ensure that the fire was completely extinguished.
Naipal said that he telephoned the La Grange Police Station. The officers arrived on the scene soon after and were given explicit descriptions of the perpetrators. They gave an assurance that an investigation will be conducted; however, no suspect has been caught.
It was related to this newspaper that the bandits were in fact strangers to the Nismes area.
According to Naipal, his business place has been the target of robbers on several occasions, and he said that he is becoming frustrated that even the police seem unable to bring a halt to the situation he faces.
Last Saturday the service station was attacked by bomb throwing perpetrators around 05:30 hours but no damage was caused, Naipal said.
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