Bandit’s skull chopped through cap

Feb 05, 2011 News

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– accomplices drag him from robbery scene

For the second successive night bandits went on a rampage in Canje. Four masked bandits armed with what appeared to be a rifle, two handguns, a cutlass and knives went on a rampage in Betsy Ground, East Canje, robbing and brutalizing the members of three households.
The bandits shot one of the victims before making good their escape. However, the shot victim chopped one of them in the middle of the forehead.
The first household to be attacked was that of cane harvester, Narootam Persaud Jugisteer. The man lived with his wife Gangawattie Jugisteer, called ‘Chiney’, and their four children–                                                         three boys 25, 22 and 17 and daughter 23, at 40 Second Street Betsy Ground, East Canje. According to Gangawattie, it was about 02:45hrs when she got up. She then told her husband that she would not cook too early.
A little later they heard knocking on the zinc and thought that cats attacking their birds. Suddenly there was a loud thud on the lower floor of the two flat house. She and her husband would usually occupy the downstairs, while the children would mostly be upstairs.
The woman said that before she could realize what was happening the bandit broke off the top half of the door, and was in the house.
Three of them carried her husband upstairs and accosted her sons and put them to lie in the hall, while one remained to guard her. They then started to ransack the house, asking her for all the gold and money.
She said that they told her that they understood that she buys stolen gold. After ransacking downstairs, the remaining bandit took her upstairs where they broadsided the children as they continued to make their demands and to ransack the house.
They took away over $400,000 worth in jewelry.  Then realizing that most of the jewelry was fake, one of the bandits said to his accomplice, “This is wah you bring we here for?”.
The woman said that the bandits then exited the house through the downstairs.
As the woman and her household started to scream residents armed themselves and started to come out. However the bandits did not leave the area. The ordeal lasted for less than 10 minutes.
They then made their way to Narootam nephew, Mahendra Jugisteer’s residence, about 50 meters away at lot 43 Betsy Ground. As residents started to come out the bandits discharged a round that sent them scurrying back into their houses.
Mahendra’s wife, Nalini Ramdat, stated that it was about 03:0 hrs and she had just ventured downstairs into her kitchen and had started to cook for her husband who is also a cane harvester. She heard her dogs barking and upon turning around she saw a shadow. At the same time someone broke the louvre window and was pointing a gun at her.
She was ordered not to say a word, However she started to scream, then she ran upstairs, by which time two bandits broke the upstairs window and entered the house. They then opened the door for a third accomplice.

The woman and her husband were ordered to lie on the floor. The bandits then told them to pass the jewels. Her husband was hit in the head and sustained a gash that started to bleed and ordered to bring the gold chain he wear.
They then relieved the couple of whatever jewelry they had, some $200,000 worth. As the bandits were about to leave one was heard saying, “These people don’t get money.”
Another was heard telling an accomplice, “This is wah you bring we here for.”The woman stated although the bandits were wearing masks she could recognize that one was tall and had long hair.
They (the bandits) then made their way over to the next door neighbour’s residence at 43 Betsy Ground.
Inderjeet Parmanand, called ‘Rickey’, a welder was at home with his mother Naline Parmanand. His father Satish Parmanand called “Par”, also a welder and boat builder, was not at home. The young man said he was awake after hearing the commotions of the two previous robberies. He never suspected the bandits would attack him next.
He was in his room and suddenly saw four men on the zinc shed. The men immediately started to hit out the bar at the window in their effort to get into the house. Arming himself with a cutlass he started to fire chops at the intruders. The bandits then aimed the small gun at him and fire a few shots, which grazed his belly and hands.
He said that he continued firing chops as the bandits repeatedly tried to enter the house. He then used a wardrobe to block the window space. The thieves then used a shotgun and fire a blast into the bedroom.
As one of the bandits poked his head, through the window he was chopped in the middle of his forehead. The other bandits then collected their colleague and fled. The injured bandit abandoned a red hat, which had a cut on the top. The bandits then fired as many as 10 shots to ward off residents as they made their escape via the creek dam.
According to the victims the police responded promptly. They were on the dam coming in when the bandits were leaving. The cops made a dash after the bandits who quickly disappeared into the bushes.
The police retrieved a red cap, a cutlass, knives, bird and cages, which the bandits disposed of and a number of spent shells and casings.

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