TWO bandits on motorbikes, armed with pistols and posing as customers, carted off approximately $6M in cash and jewellery from Gobin’s Grocery Store at Port Mourant, Corentyne, in Region 6 last Friday.This is one of the most popular stores in the area. Business partner Rhada Gobin told reporters that she was about to tally the day’s sales when the bandits came into the business place. Approximately five staff members and eleven customers were in the store at the time.

“Me get Banks truck come, and me there checking the money, $1.1M plus. And while counting, they had a lot of people in the shop,” she related. She said the bandits walked in the shop and asked: “ ‘Aunty Rhada, you have Heineken?’ and ah say no.”

She said they walked out of the building, but swiftly returned and asked for Guinness instead. “So they give a $1000 and say they want three, and when I tek the money and walking to get the Guinness, he tek out a gun and put it on a lady head at the counter and say ‘Nobody don’t move!’ Then (dem) tell everybody to lie down and (dem) start cuss.”

Gobin, who has been running the business for more than six years, said both men had guns, and one of them discharged a round then instructed her to hand over the money. “They get a haversack at the front of their shirt and take it out and throw it give me, and say let me put all the money inside…. Me pick up the bag and hold it, then throw it down and tell them that the bag nah open.”

According to Gobin one of the two intruders took the haversack and went to the money drawer and started empting its contents into the bag, while the other went to her and used his gun to hit her. “He tell me open all the drawers and take out all the money, so I open all the drawers and take out all the money and full up in the bag.”

All of the customers who were in the shop at the time were also robbed of their valuables, including an overseas-based Guyanese who had gone to the shop to change a quantity of US currency.

Gobin estimates her losses to be close to $500,000 in jewellery. She said the robbers used the overseas-based Guyanese as a human shield as they made their exit. “They put the gun at the lady neck and walked to the motorbike and ride away.”

Police have arrested one suspect thus far.