By Nigel Williams
Three young men armed with shotguns attempted to rob an Annandale businessman in broad daylight yesterday, but their efforts were foiled when the businessman's wife managed to escape the grasp of one of the bandits and flee into a neighbour's yard.
Stabroek News understands that the youths are residents of the immediate neighbourhood and one of them was positively identified since he had frequented the business premises prior to yesterday's attack.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, proprietor of Ace Shopping Centre located at Annandale South, East Coast Demerara, Bhagwandin, said that he was not home at the time but his wife, Hamagie, was in the store when the three men entered around 10:30 am and asked her the price of a bottle of skin cream.
Bhagwandin, a businessman for over five years, said his wife told him that she went close to the counter and was about to respond to the men when one of them held on to her blouse.
 Wounded! Hamagie Bhagwandin with her wounded right hand yesterday.  Ace Shopping Centre located at Annandale South ECD. (Clairmonte Marcus photo) |
He said that while the man held her with one hand he hit her on her head
with his gun and also wounded her left hand as he demanded that she give him
all of the money.
Bhagwandin said that his wife told the bandit to take the money but he made
no effort to do so but rather kept holding on to her hand. He reported that
his wife wrestled with the man and succeeded in slipping under the counter.
She then crawled her way out of the shop, scaled a fence and escaped into
her neighbour's yard. He said that the men stood behind the counter for a
little while thinking that Hamagie had gone to get the money for them and
after realising that she was not returning they ran south along the road and
departed in the direction of Buxton.
According to the businessman, his wife told him that the men were all young
and unmasked and one of them made purchases at the store every now and then.
Bhagwandin said he was alerted that a group of young men from the
neighbourhood were in the habit of robbing residents of Coldingen at night.
He said that he had now become disgusted with the situation in the country,
noting that despite the many promises from the government nothing has
changed.
The businessman observed that his business place was fully grilled and the
fact that he was a businessman meant that he would be out on the road most
of the time. He urged that the government speed up the process of issuing
businessmen with high-calibre weaponry which he said could aid in fighting
against the hardened criminals who were better equipped.
The man spoke about the presence of the Guyana Defence Force in the
neighbourhood, claiming that the armed ranks were only concentrating their
efforts in one area while the other villages were left unattended.
Bhagwandin declared that despite all that was happening he would still
continue to operate his business. "How long will you hide and close up
your door because of bandits? After all you have to eat, you have to survive
some how, but this government must provide proper protection for
citizens," the businessman said.
Meanwhile, a report was made to the police who are carrying out
investigations.