— residents concerned at upsurge in bandit attacks
BANDITS posing as customers struck at the Guyoil Gas Station in Palmyra, East Bank Berbice, on Republic Day, relieving the staff of $87,400 in cash before escaping in a marked ‘Jonny Walker’ vehicle with registration number PMM 7123. Two persons have since been arrested pending investigations, but no charges have yet been laid. According to reports, last Thursday, Natasha Reddock of Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, was the cashier on duty at the fuel station when the incident occurred. Whilst she was standing in the northern gas bay, two identifiable bandits entered from the opposite direction, and one of them sought to purchase a gallon of oil.
Whilst Reddock was attempting to sell the disguised bandit, his accomplice held on to her uniform from behind the counter and placed a handgun to her head, demanding cash. The ‘customer’ bandit then forced Reddock into the cashier’s booth, where he relieved her of the afternoon’s sales which was in a drawer.
During the robbery, Pump Attendant Shondell Ambrose unwittingly went into the bay, and was confronted by the men, who ordered her to lie on the floor and be quiet. They then made good their escape.
Residents in the area are concerned over the repeated bandit attacks in their community. They deemed the location of the gas station a lure for bandits, as there are easy getaway avenues for bandits plying their trade, namely the Berbice River Bridge, the canefields that lead to a number of places in the Corentyne and in Canje, and the seven mile stretch of highway leading up the Corentyne Coast.
This newspaper was informed that the gas station is not protected by an armed guard service.
On June 5, 2006, five armed men shot and killed an armed guard attached to the Guyoil Terminal at Heathburn, East Bank Berbice, before escaping with more than $300,000 from the oil company. That daring attack has left the East Bank Berbice community in shock.
Mere minutes prior to the 15:25hrs tragedy, Allan Jordan, 51, of Third Street, Fyrish Village, Corentyne, had assumed duty on the three-to-eleven shift.
No one has as yet been arrested following that incident.