- $1.5M in jewelry, cash,
other items stolen
The Corentyne home of Police Officer Safra
Matadial was, on Thursday, targeted by three bandits,
who terrorized the family before making off with over $1.5M
in groceries, jewelry, cash and other items.
Matadial, who is stationed at the Albion Police Station, told this
newspaper that, on Thursday evening, at around 19:30 hrs, he was
relaxing in a hammock surrounded by other family members when the
bandits struck.
The police officer said he and his wife, Chandrawattie, were in
one hammock while his mother-in-law, Angela Singh, was in another
hammock close by with his eight-month-old son. He said they were
having a conversation after retiring from a day of tedious work in
the grocery store beneath his two-storey home when the men
appeared from behind an old mini-van parked in his front yard.
The family lives at Lot 45 Letter Kenny, Corentyne.
Safra told this newspaper that the bandits were all dressed in
black and wore what appeared to be black ski masks to hide their
identities.
The bandits brandished guns and
surrounded them
According to the policeman, the bandits brandished guns and
surrounded them, demanding cash and other valuables. He said they
began screaming for help but were forced into silence by one
bandit who pointed a gun at them and shouted, “One moh noise and
we gon kill all ah yahall!”
Placing guns to their heads, the bandits ordered Safraz and his
wife further into the bottom flat as they continued to demand cash
and jewelry.
Phone cards
amounting to another $200,000
Safraz said he handed over $218,000 in cash, plus phone cards
amounting to another $200,000. The bandits were not satisfied, and
after binding his arms behind his back with a piece of polythene
rope, they forcefully demanded jewelry. The man was forced to lead
them to a small room on the ground floor where his valuables were
stored, and handed over two gold bands, a chain and two finger
rings amounting to some $500,000.
His wife had unfortunately left her diamond wedding band valued
at US$1000 and her wedding ring in that same room earlier in the
day, and the bandits wasted no time in taking them.
The men also robbed Safraz of two gold rings valued at $20,000,
four cellular phones totalling $85,000, US$179, two MP3 Players, a
quantity of cigarettes, cheese and other groceries.
They also relieved his mother-in-law of a pair of earrings, a
pair of ‘jingles,’ and four finger rings before wrenching two
hand bands valued at $25,000 each from the arms of his
eight-month- old son.
Bandits bundled the loot into
large haversacks
According to the policeman, the bandits bundled the loot into
large haversacks and, scaling
a fence at the back of the house, made good their escape into the
night. He said that during the robbery, one of the bandits
indicated that he knew Safraz is a police officer but that did not
deter them from committing the crime. The bandits are still at
large.
Monday,
December 8, 2008
