A PENSIONER of Unity, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara is grateful to be still alive after she was tied up in her home, had cloth stuffed in her mouth, and robbed of $5,000 by a man from the same village.The Chronicle understands that the suspect Zahir Mohamed was subsequently arrested. According to reports, he went to the small shop which the woman operates and requested cigarettes but when she turned to get them he forced his way in and became a bandit rather than a customer.

The woman managed to raise an alarm and the police responded to her calls, resulting in the arrest of the suspect.

Meanwhile, according to reports the man may also be able to assist the police in solving the murder of a pensioner of the same village who had been tied up, gagged and robbed in her home before being killed. That woman operated a shop and was also a pensioner.

On May 23, 2015 the body of Chandroutie Persaud, 68 years, of Lot 46 River View Squatting area, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara was found in her bed with her hands tied behind her back and a piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth.

The woman was at the time living with her sickly husband but in a separate section of the house. At that time, residents had indicated to this newspaper that the woman was last seen on the night before her body was discovered and she was going into her home.

Her son in an interview had stated that his mother might have been murdered by someone from the community, who may have been familiar with her movements.

In recent times, there have been a number of cases where pensioners, particularly women, were found dead in their homes with their hands bound and in other cases cloth was stuffed into their mouth. Some were found semi-nude while others were battered.

The police, however, did make some arrests in a few cases while others are still under investigation.

By Leroy Smith