Albouystown family robbed of millions on Christmas Eve

Dec 25, 2014 News

On the day when most would be rushing to put in their final touches on Christmas

An injured Chandradeo Ramlakhan standing next to the broken door

preparations, two masked gunmen invaded a house in Albouystown and made off with over $3M in cash and jewellery. The ordeal lasted for about 15 minutes.
The robbery took place around 03:00 hours yesterday morning (Christmas Eve) at Lot 30 Albouys Street, Albouystown. Reports are that 64-year-old Chandradeo Ramlakhan, his wife, children and grandchildren were at home when two gun-toting bandits ‘visited’.
The man stated that around 03:05 hours, his family was sleeping when he heard a banging at the glass door of the upper flat of his house. Leaving his 56-year-old wife in bed, he went to see where the noise was coming from.
It was then that Ramlakhan, a contractor, saw two men trying to open the front door. He said that he tried holding on to the door, but his efforts proved futile since the bandits then smashed through the glass and came in demanding he hand over cash and jewellery.
Ramlakhan said he resisted, but the bandits pushed him into his bedroom and proceeded to beat him with the gun. His wife, roused by the commotion, ran into her daughter’s room as her husband tried to defend her.
He scuffled with the bandits but he was gun butted several times; bursting his head and causing him injuries about his body. During the process, the bandits ransacked the room and grabbed about $3M in jewellery and $60,000 cash before escaping.
Speaking to Kaieteur News, the contractor’s daughter, Nadira Ramlakhan, who was sleeping in the bedroom next to her parents, recalled hearing about 10 shots being fired.
She said it was soon after that she heard a kicking on the door, and when she opened her door, the bandit turned and looked at her and then left. She said they slipped through the sliding glass door, scaled the verandah and escaped.
According to her, the bandits had cut the phone lines before entering the house and they were left to use their cellular phones to call the police.
The family suspects that the bandits may have been drawn to their house because Nadira Ramlakhan had been out of the country for some time and had only returned for her mother’s birthday on Tuesday.
The couple had been living in that house for 41 years.