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Feb 17, 2020 News
Brazen robbers roam unafraid of the law
By Shikema Dey
Dancehall Artist Kartel has a hit song “Big, Bad n Brave” and the lyrics go something like this; “mi big bad and brave bwoy, do weh yuh wah fi do”.
Robbers in Guyana seem to have embodied that exact line in recent times, becoming more brazen as the days go by. They have no regards for the law, or law enforcement and care even less about CCTV cameras as recent reports would show.
But there is nothing ‘brave’ in robbing women and even children.
An analysis of the brazen crimes committed showed that most of the suspects are mere teenagers and young adults ranging from the ages of 17- 26 years.
We are 47 days into 2020 and already, these robbers have been wreaking havoc on innocent Guyanese all across the country on a daily basis and with their apparent “doan kay” attitude, no one is safe.
TEK IT FROM MEH IN FRONT MEH
The thieves showcased their gall on January 3, days into the New Year when they snatched a young man’s motorbike and other valuables from him on Campbell Avenue right in front of a commercial restaurant.
CCTV footage captured the entire robbery and showed that it lasted mere seconds. The three men were unmasked. The video shows a young man standing near his bike while three other men, entered the view, appearing like normal citizens strolling pass.
But while the man was starting his motorcycle, the trio circled back and one snatched him from behind.
The victim tried to put up a fight but was dragged to the ground and searched, while one of the three men hopped on the bike.
After being satisfied with their find, another thief got on the bike as a pillion rider and two of them made off, leaving the third bandit to escape on foot.
Gone in fifty-nine seconds
A dash cam recorded two Chinese Nationals being robbed on North Road, Bourda on January 13. The suspects were done in fifty-nine seconds.
They wore no masks, and appeared to be normal citizens out shopping for groceries at the nearby Sunday market. But they both carried cutlass,
At around 10:00am that Sunday, the two Chinese nationals were loading their car after transacting business at a nearby store. Seconds later, the four thieves, one armed with a cutlass approached their car.
From the dash cam footage, the thieves immediately snatched one of the victims, and dealt him several cuffs when he resisted.
Within seconds, they relieved both victims of their valuables, and calmly walked away.
It was a one man show that left an employee of a Berbice Pharmacy in the hospital with a stab wound to his abdomen. On January 24, the victim, Ashraf “Bai” Ally, of Cumberland Village, East Canje was awaiting transportation on the public road.
Canje is known to be a busy area with persons traversing to and fro conducting their daily businesses so when Ally saw the victim approaching, he thought nothing of it.
Until the man pulled out a knife.
CCTV footage showed the perpetrator was standing near the business premises and pounced when the employee exited the building.
Ally was making his way to tend to his stall at the New Amsterdam Market. He had a bag containing approximately $300,000 which the perpetrator made off with.
The saying goes that “lightning never strikes twice in the same place” but thieves did. In fact, the men struck not once or twice, but three times, over a three month period.
A supermarket on the West Coast of Berbice was hit for the third time on January 25 with the thieves escaping with cash and other valuables.
According to proprietor, H.N. Lalsa, former principal of the Government Industrial Training Centre, he was in his bed when at about 2:00 hours, he heard an unusual sound.
He assumed that someone had struck his bus which was parked on the premises. He went onto his porch on the upper flat to have a look.
Mr. Lalsa saw at least two men leaving through a hole in his fence.
The men had ransacked his store and carted off millions in cash, valuables along with food items.
In the first robbery, the men escaped with over two million in cash and valuables. In the second robbery, the thieves took Lalsa’s licensed firearm and some documents.
No suspects were identified or arrested.
Even garbage collectors are not safe
And it seems that not even the men who collect your trash are safe.
That was the case on February 6, when three workers from Puran Brothers were assaulted and relieved of their valuables by two gun toting bandits while tending to their daily tasks.
The incident was said to have occurred around 05:30am in Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown. The crew consisted of five workers plus the driver.
While two of the workers were emptying bins, the bandits struck.
They were unmasked and carried what appeared to be a pistol. The thieves carted off cell phones, an undisclosed amount of cash, and the driver’s wedding band. Not even the men’s lunches were spared.
The situation has gotten so dire that the men who work to keep the environment clean refused to continue working in such areas without police presence.
Scarred for life
Scars can sometimes be a painful reminder of a bad patch in your life and for 41-year-old Robeena Zaman, she will forever carry a slash on her face, reminding her of a terrifying experience in which she was attacked by a knife-wielding thief on February 12.
The Child Welfare Officer was walking out of her street in Albouystown, to get transportation for work. But this plan went south.
As the woman calmly walked the street, she passed a young man, who was sitting and combing his hair. He played music from a speaker and appeared harmless.
She continued walking but seconds later, felt a tugging on her bag. It was the same youth. She held on to her property and this fact seemed to anger the young man.
He pulled out a knife and attempted to stab Mrs. Zaman. But she warded off the attack. He then tried stabbing her to the face but thankfully, the knife caught in her hijab.
He then slashed the woman’s face, leaving her with 26 stitches.
Still, she fought bravely and he eventually fled.
According to her, persons stood around watching but did not intervene.
Who strolls into a busy mall filled with patrons including innocent children, unmasked and armed? Two young thieves, who seemed like regular customers.
They created terror in the Giftland Mall on February 10 after strolling into the mall. Apparently undeterred by CCTV camera, they robbed a GTT kiosk located on the ground floor.
The unmasked youths, who had a gun, ordered the cashier to hand over the day’s sales. Within seconds, the men grabbed the cash and ran out of the mall.
Not even the innocent students who walk home from school are safe.
A 12-year-old student of West Demerara Secondary School was beaten and robbed by a thief on February 3 while making his way home from school.
The lad was riding his cycle through a street; just a stone’s throw from his home when he was accosted by man who demanded that he hand over his belongs.
It was said that the child refused so the thief struck the child to his head.
The child is now scared to go to school.
We come fuh tek we own
Another two young men, walked into an East Coast Demerara supermarket on Thursday last, calmly pulled out their firearm while shoppers bought groceries and demanded that they are given cash and valuables.
This robbery was also captured on camera.
First, the men parked their motorcycle outside and walked in.
They wore helmets but this did nothing to conceal their identity.
While one stood guard with a gun, the other headed straight for the cash register, emptying out the day’s sales and also carting off a quantity of cell phones and landline cards.
They walked right out, as calmly as customers who had just completed a day’s shopping.
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