…cart off over $5M in cash, valuables

FORMER murder accused, Marcus Bisram, is left counting his losses after bandits invaded his residence at Number 71 Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), on Sunday night.
Bisram, during an interview on Monday, told the Guyana Chronicle that four masked men, armed with guns and a cutlass, invaded his residence, attacked his relatives and subsequently carted off $5 million in cash, cellphones and a quantity of jewellery, valuing close to $1.2 million.

In recounting the ordeal, Bisram said he was joined by about 15 relatives in his yard, where they were conversing and having a casual family time; something they would do often.
An evening of entertainment, however, quickly turned to horror around 19:30hrs, when the armed men ran into the yard and pointed guns at Bisram and his relatives, demanding cash and other items.

“They came in and said ‘don’t move’, and they relieved everyone of their cellphones and then they direct all of us to go into the house where they took every one of their jewellery,” said Bisram.
He recalled that two of the bandits held a two-year-old at gunpoint and demanded to be directed to where the cash and other valuables were being stored.
Bisram was reluctant because he reportedly withdrew a large sum of money, just days before, to pay his legal fees for an ongoing court matter.
The intruders, however, through aggressive means, managed to, allegedly, steal eight cellphones, two gold bangles weighing 100 pennyweights each, a 100-pennyweight gold chain, a diamond ring valued US$12,000, several credit cards and US$2,000 in cash.

No one was severely injured during the ordeal, but a 24-year-old relative of Bisram received minor injuries after being beaten by one of the bandits with a cutlass.
The Guyana Chronicle was told that the bandits made good their escape on motorcycles that were reportedly parked a short distance away from the crime scene.

Bisram said the police were subsequently contacted and they responded within 15 minutes. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has since confirmed that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
Bisram, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Guyana to stand trial for the murder of Berbice Carpenter, Faiyaz Narinedatt. He was subsequently charged with the murder and remanded to prison.
Bisram was, however, exonerated on March 30, 2020, after Magistrate Renita Singh, who presided over the case at the Whim Magistrate’s Court, found that the State did not have sufficient evidence against him.

However, just hours later, Bisram was re-arrested as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ordered that the Magistrate re-open the case on the grounds that there was enough evidence for him to stand a High Court trial. This decision was challenged and Bisram was allowed to go free again.