By Jeune Bailey Van Keric

ALLEGEDLY known thief Odhan Lalbeharry, called “Stew”, of New Forest and Adelphi villages in East Canje Berbice, was shot in his head when one of his accomplices opened fire indiscriminately in a home during an early Sunday morning robbery at Edinburgh Scheme, East Bank Berbice.He was pronounced dead on arrival at the New Amsterdam Hospital, where police rushed him for medical attention.

His daughter, Shaline Sohan, told this newspaper that police visited her home at approximately 04:25hrs yesterday to inform her that Lalbeharry had been shot by one of his colleagues, after
They had shown her a photograph which she identified as that of her father.

Overwhelmed with grief upon learning of the demise of her only child, an unemployed man and father of three daughters, Lalbeharry’s mother, Elsie Lalbeharry, said he had eaten his diner before leaving home dressed in black and promising to return soon.

Businesswoman Parbattie Jainabi, 48; her husband Nandkumar Datt, known as “Bald Head”, 45; their daughters Alicia Ramnarine, alias Pryia, 19; and Kelly Datt, called Shenna, 21, were reportedly awakened on the upper flat of their two-storey interconnected building by the sound of feet running on a galvanized shed which adjoins the building that houses a residence, grocery and parlour.

Nandkumar Datt said he alerted his family of the imminent attack before fleeing from the upper flat and exiting the home to alert neighbours of the presence of intruders in his home.

The four bandits had meanwhile entered the bedroom of Alicia Ramnarine by breaking the louvre panes. Two held the teen while the other two seized her sister; they demanded to know where Bald Head was.

The girls were beaten by the lanky masked bandits, who were all dressed in long sleeved jerseys and dark coloured trousers. One of the bandits, they said, was armed with a shotgun, whilst another had a cutlass. The girls were taken to the lower flat via an inside stairway, and the bandits demanded that the lights be switched on, but that did not happen.

The bandits then demanded, and were given, phone cards and money garnered from the day’s sales. Not satisfied with their haul, the four intruders were attempting to return to the upper flat with the girls when their mother came out of hiding and gave the bandits a yellow metal bangle which she was wearing along with additional cash which police said amounted to one million dollars ($1,000,000).

According to the victims, after the bandit with the gun had collected the booty and placed it in his haversack, he fired a shot at the fridge, believing that Bald Head had returned and was standing in that vicinity. It turned out to be his accomplice who sustained the gunshot injury.

Once shot, the injured man and his accomplices exited the building through a door on the lower flat, but he fell in the vicinity of the entrance and was subsequently discovered by the police.

Chairman of the Glasgow New Housing Scheme Community Policing Group, Mr Visitor Seegobin, revealed that shortly after 01:00hrs, he heard rapid gunfire coming from a short distance from his home. He immediately called Operations at Central Police Station, and three units were dispatched, including a unit from Reliance Police Station.

He recalled that as the police vehicles were approaching the scene, the bandits fled to the Glasgow Housing Scheme area. Police ranks searched the area and nabbed a man who was hiding. However, the man denied being a part of the gang.

Senior ranks, including Commander Ian Amsterdam, were on scene and recovered several spent and live black and red cartridges. Investigations are continuing.