TWO men were, on Tuesday, sentenced to 30 months each, after they confessed to the $5.9 million armed robbery committed on an Essequibo Coast businessman and his wife.

Nigel Bentick, 25, of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and Isaiah Okmie Barclay, 21, of Lodge, appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.

The duo pleaded guilty to the charge which alleged that on January 1,2022, at Charity, while being armed with dangerous weapons and using personal violence, they robbed Mohamed Khan and his wife, Sohanie Sanchara, of a quantity of Digicel and GTT phone cards valued at just over $1.1 million and $4,822,641 cash.

Magistrate Sam sentenced the duo to serve 30 months behind bars.

According to reports, on the day in question, Khan, 55, was about to open his business when the two men, who were armed with a cutlass and knife respectively, pushed the door and entered.

One of the men placed a knife to his throat, while the other defendant attacked his 57-year-old wife and covered her mouth. The robbers then tied the couple’s hands and feet with duct tape.

The defendants proceeded to ransack the building and later escaped with the phone cards and cash.

The businessman managed to free himself and ran behind the suspects. He chopped one of them but was attacked by the other suspect, who chopped him on the head.

Police, with assistance from public-spirited citizens, including some members of the Charity Community Policing Group CPG), cordoned off the area between New Road and Dartmouth backlands where the defendants had fled.

A manhunt, which lasted some five hours, led to the duo being apprehended. They were taken to the Charity Police Station. All of the stolen items were recovered.