Berbice Police probe response to $3M Port Mourant robbery

Sep 09, 2014 News

During last week, three armed masked bandits armed with a high power rifle, a shotgun and a chain saw, cut their way into a dwelling house at 170 Well Street, Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, before robbing the three occupants of over $3M. Since then, another investigation has been launched into the sloth of the police response.
According to information the ranks who were on patrol, and those that were manning the Police Operation Room that passes on the report to the patrol, were ordered to report to the Police Office of Professional Responsibility.
The residents are claiming that the patrol took an awful long time to respond, thus giving the bandits enough time to cut through the house with the chain saw, rob the occupants, and escape.
However, the police are stating that when they received the initial message they were told that the robbery was at a location at Belvedere, further down the Corentyne Coast. They responded promptly and scoured the entire area, but came up empty handed.
They said that upon further enquiry they received information that the incident occurred at Miss Phoebe Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice.
The police are pushing ahead with their investigation and are positive that they would solve the crime. They see the latest development as a diversion. The family is not fully cooperative with the investigations.
The robbery occurred at the premises of Michael Ramiah and his wife Basmati Gobin. They own and operate a grocery in the lower portion of the premises.
The couple recently went overseas on vacation and left Ramiah’s stepson, Leon Verasammy, to oversee the business. Verasammy and two others, the owner’s nephew and a workman, would usually sleep in the building.
The men reportedly retired to bed around 21:00 hrs on August 31, last. Around 01:00 hrs they were aroused by the sound of knocking on the shed. Upon investigation they saw three persons on the shed who claimed to be police and demanded that the men open the door.
The bandits fired shots even as one took a chainsaw and cut a hole in the wall before entering. The three young men who had occupied one room were soon rounded up as the bandits stuck them up and demanded cash.
They then took Verasammy downstairs at gun point and forced him to hand over the money which was reportedly hidden behind a Television.
The ordeal lasted for about 15 minutes and the bandits then made good their escape. By the time the police responded they had disappeared.
Investigators recovered a number of warheads matching those used in an AK 47 rifle or M70 rifle pellets for a shotgun and another warhead still to be identified, giving the impression that the bandits were in possession of three different weapons.
Four persons, including a onetime murder accused and high profile bandit, who was recently released from jail on bail, were arrested and placed into custody. They have since been released on station bail.
Investigations are continuing as the probe widens.

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