— several suspects held

FOUR men are in police custody assisting with investigations following a daring armed robbery on a Berbice business on Saturday evening.

According to reports, around 20:00 hrs, five armed men stormed the D. Singh and Son Supermarket at Lot 57, Number 58 Village, East Berbice Corentyne, holding the owner and customers at gunpoint before making off with over $300,000 in cash, a quantity of phone cards, cell phones and jewellery.

The owner and an off-duty police gave chase and were able to apprehend one of the robbers. The police subsequently arrested three others believed to be his accomplices in the robbery.

Owner Akash Persaud, 35, told Guyana Chronicle that he was outside the business talking to a friend when he noticed five men, each armed with a handgun and wearing masks entered his business place firing shots indiscriminately.

“About five men came from the opposite side; four entered the shop while one stood guard at the side of the shop firing shots in the air. One off-duty police officer was leaving the supermarket when the men saw him and hit him in the face before turning him back into the shop.”

Persaud said two of the men then turned their attention to him, pointing their handguns in his direction telling him to comply with their orders or he will be shot. As he was being ordered into the shop, he noticed his mother who was in the shop earlier was not there.

At that point, Persaud explained, one of the men jumped over the counter and cut the cable leading to the DVR and proceeded to empty the cash register. Another stood guard over the five customers who were in the store at the time as they lay face down while the men carried out the robbery.

Persaud’s said he later learnt his mother was taken to the upper flat of the two- storey building. “The door to the upper flat was locked so one of the bandits started shooting at it, at which point one of them yelled from downstairs ‘We geh enough! We get enough!’ They subsequently left while discharging rounds in the air,” the businessman said.

After the men exited and headed towards the backdam, Persaud said he and the off-duty police pursued them.
During the chase, one of the suspects fell into a hole and broke his leg and that allowed Persaud and the officer to apprehend him. They retrieved from the robber a bag containing cash, a quantity of phone cards and a cellphone belonging to Persaud.

By that time, a police patrol arrived and took the injured bandit in for questioning before taking him to seek medical attention at a public hospital in the region. Based on the investigations, three other persons were detained during the course of Saturday night and noon of Sunday as the search continues for the persons involved.

Police in a press release said one of the suspects is currently receiving medical attention at the public hospital.
The off-duty officer, who was among the victims robbed, was shot at by the bandits during the pursuit of the robbers and his vehicle was damaged.

Meanwhile, the father of the detained suspect is also in custody after several pieces of camouflage clothing similar to those worn by the bandits were found in his house.