A family of three has survived last Thursday night’s ordeal to tell a harrowing tale of being robbed at their Moblissa home by marauding bandits, who had threatened to set their two-storey wooden-and-concrete home ablaze in the backdam after demanding cash.Simangal Van Lowden, a farmer who also does distribution of the Mora Spring Water in Linden, his wife Carlita DeAbreau and their 14-year-old son Vandee Van Lowden were lucky to survive an hour-long ordeal when five armed and masked men wearing black outfit invaded their home, some eight miles from Linden and approximately one mile in from the Linden Highway at Moblissa.

Speaking about what transpired on Thursday night, Carlita related that the robbers “kick my husband in he head; and after they done kick he in he head, they tie we up and soak he with kerosene oil and methylated spirits, and say they are going to light the house afire.

“And then they tek the lil boy, my son, upstairs and tell he if he don’t show dem where the money deh, they will kill he and shoot he. But eventually they did not shoot or anything, and they left and go way. They were in the house for about an hour, and (they) ransacked the house, cut the chairs, tumble everything, including the drawers.”

The woman said, “It was just after 19:00 hrs (on Thursday night), and they left about 19:55 hrs, before they left and go away. All of them wore masks and had on black clothes, black pants, everything black; and the five men, they had three guns, two cutlasses and a long knife. This is the very first time this has happened to us.”

Nursing wounds about his upper body, the elder Van Lowden stated: “As soon as they come in, (they) push open the door, because we had just finished bathing and we get inside and I sit in the chair and put on the television and just brace back like this, and all of a sudden I see the door open with a gun, (and they said) ‘Get down on the ground!’

“I thought it was like a joke, and before I could think in terms of to get down on the ground off of the chair, the other one run in with two cutlasses. Whilst I getting down, that is when I get the first lash; and the first lash actually got me out of my mind. I was totally stupid. And after I went down on the ground, they ask me, ‘Where is the money?’

“I tell them the money is in my wife’s shoulder bag right on the table, and one of dem dash and collect the bag and throw it out, pick up the money and ask where are all the cell phones. I tell dem me cellphone is right on the table, and they pick up all three of the cell phones, the money, and (then) they come back and give me another lash. They stamp me in my head and kick me across here, where swell up.”

In obvious pain, the man recounted: “When they done, they carry we upstairs and got we; and they go and get the kerosene from the stove and soak me from head to toe. Right now this whole area, I don’t even know if I got on underpants, everything is swollen from my waist down. After they done that, they open a bottle of methylated spirits and throw it on me also, then put me to lay down and tie me up me hand and foot, duct tape me mouth, using a towel to make a rope around me mouth and tied it behind, and duct tape me mouth up. Then they threaten to light me afire. I was just thinking ‘Oh my, if they light a fire, we all are going to die’.

“They put me wife and son to the post after they finish doing that. They took the pickup key, but could not start it. So one of them came back inside with the remote for the car and asked me if that is the key for the car. I told him no, and they asked where is the car key, but I could not talk.

“They went back and start the car. The other one was still in the house with a cutlass searching, tumbling around, and then they jumped in the car, close the door and turn off the light.

“When they left with the car, how they tie me hand and tape, I manage to free my hand and my son also was able to free his hand. We eventually freed ourselves, but there was no cell phone; but we had to walk about a mile to reach somebody with a cell phone, but they had no credit. One of the neighbour’s sons collected an old phone earlier in the day, which he charged, and it so happen that his father had a sim, and that is how we got a call to my other son, Edward, and he took us to the station and then the hospital, and we stayed by him the night until morning.

“The police came and took information, but could not find any fingerprints, as these robbers wore gloves and were masked and (had) things tie across their faces. You could not see anything to identify them.”

Still exhibiting some amount of fear, the farmer continued: “If they had light a fire, the upstairs is wood and downstairs concrete, and there was also a gas bottle which they threatened to shoot to create an explosion, or scratch a match. I was hoping that did not happen, because we would not have been here to tell the tale.

“The car was recovered at the junction of the highway in Moblissa, and they threw away the keys. We do not have the keys for the pickup and house either. They got over $100,000 in cash, with gold and cell phones; with an estimated loss of over $300,000.”

By Joe Chapman