(DEMERAWAVES) THREE persons have been arrested in connection with the brutal beating and robbing of a West Coast Berbice family. Police Chief of Criminal Investigations, Assistant Commissioner Seelall Persaud said the trio were arrested at an East Coast Demerara village based on information received.
A cellular phone, which was stolen from then abducted family member Wazim Sheriff was allegedly found in the possession of one of the men, Persaud said. The stolen cash, jewellery, handgun and ammunition have not been recovered.
The police officer said the detainees have not admitted their involvement in the robbery committed on the Subhan family at 22 Bel Air, West Coast Berbice.
Persaud said investigators were trying to ascertain whether the three suspects might have been involved in the Monday night robbery on the Fung-Fook Supermarket at Vryheid Village, West Canje, Berbice.
Police said the quartet held up the owner Deryck Fung-Fook,53, his daughter and cashier Erika Fung-Fook, 21; and Leonard Bhagwandin, 46, of Vryheid Village.
The perpetrators placed them to lie on the ground and took away a sum of cash and a quantity of jewellery and escaped, police said in a statement.
“The police responded promptly to the report received and pursued the men in the direction where they escaped, leading into a swampy area, during which there was an exchange of gunfire,” Guyana Police Force spokesman, Ivelaw Whittaker said in a statement. The following day at Bel Air, West Coast Berbice, 64-year old Albert Subhan was attacked at his grocery. His wife, Zulika, and daughter, Zamena, were bound and gagged.
Police said the men carted off GUY$500,000 cash and jewellery. The robbers fled in one of Subhan’s car in which they abducted his son-in-law, Wazim Sherriff.
They later tied him up and left him with the car that was disabled and abandoned at Yorkshire Dam, Mahaicony. He managed to free himself and made a report to the Mahaicony police station.
Police sources say that Sheriff was entering the yard at the same the men were leaving. They stole his .32 pistol, matching ammunition and GUY$8,000.