Bandits in early morning East Bank Demerara robberies

FORTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD fish vendor Ian Justice was robbed at gunpoint early last Saturday morning, a short distance away from Agricola Police Station, East Bank of Demerara.He was on his way to the Meadow Bank wharf in Georgetown, and in a failed bid to escape the robbers, the victim, who was riding a pedal cycle, crashed into the curb wall dividing the traffic lanes on the road and broke his right leg.
Justice, now warded at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), recalled that it was around 05:20 hrs, as he was riding along the Agricola Public Road, he saw two men approaching him.
One was masked and the other carried an ice-pick and, on seeing them, he increased his speed but hit the concrete and fell to the ground.
His attackers overpowered him and the one wearing the mask drew a gun while the other brandished the ice-pick and demanded that he hand over his cash.
As the masked gunman pointed the weapon at him and threatened to shoot, a motor car approached and that prevented the shooter from firing.
Terrified, the vendor, lying on the ground, quickly pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out $3,000 which he handed over to the men, telling them it was all that he had. The men made off with the money and left the injured fish vendor lying on the ground.
Probably observing
A young woman who was probably observing the incident from somewhere nearby telephoned for the Police who came and, in turn, called for an ambulance.
The injured man was taken to the Diamond Regional Hospital and, later, transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).
Meanwhile, 24 hours later, other citizens became robbery victims, too, also at Agricola.
On Sunday, in another pre-dawn attack, bandits pounced on a plantain seller and his wife, whose motor vehicle had broken down in the vicinity of Agricola.
The distraught couple claimed that they were transporting seven bunches of green plantains to the Plaisance Market on East Coast of Demerara and after the vehicle broke down, robbers in the area, forcefully, relieved them of five bunches.
Concerned citizens using the Agricola thoroughfare are appealing for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to have ranks from the Agricola Police Station make occasional patrols in the wee hours of the morning, so as to safeguard those people whose legitimate business must take them out on the road when the bandits are likely to be on the prowl.
(Shirley Thomas)

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