-severely injure proprietress
-cart off millions of dollars in cash
TERROR was wantonly unleashed at Meten-Meer-zorg Saturday night when a gang of about six heavily armed bandits swooped down on a supermarket at 52 Middle Street, beating and holding staff and family members of the business owned by Deonauth Judistry hostage, before carting off some $7-8M local currency and an undisclosed amount of US currency.

In the frenzy the businessman’s wife, Annie Bisram, suffered severe head injuries after being hit on the head and had to be rushed to hospital. Their 10-year old daughter and an 18-year-old niece were also beaten and gun butted. The 18-year old was forced to lie face down on the floor, while two employees were also beaten and terrorised.

Judistry, who feigned being merely a customer, managed to escape out of the store,  jumped a fence and ran through a yard from where he discharged two rounds at the men, missing them on both occasions.

As members of the gang ransacked the store and terrorized their targets, others advanced towards Annie who was deeper in the shop and demanded cash. Meanwhile, the men, in an effort to further intimidate the family, discharged several rounds. Under pain and in a state of panic, she showed the men to the drawer containing the cash and they made off with it.

In the usually quiet neighbourhood, neighbours were not alerted to the fact that something dreadful was taking place at the store until gunshots rang out in the night. Calls were made to the police who arrived about one hour later.

Meanwhile, about two hours later, two sluice operators working at the seaside in the neighbourhood turned up at the home of the beleaguered business owners and claimed that the group had attacked them and another person praying at the seaside and robbed and tied them up. The victims claimed the men came by a boat propelled by a 40 H.P. outboard engine.

The sluice operators, after managing to free themselves, made a report to their Guysuco security supervisor who took them to the Leonora Police Station where they made a formal report.

The report of last evening’s criminal attacks apparently prompted immediate, heightened security action, unlike the night before when a resident of Waller’s Delight was beaten and robbed of more than $7M.  Acting on the heels of last evening’s robbery attacks, a road block was immediately set up at the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Police are continuing their investigations.