Armed robbers invaded a house in a violent early morning attack at Ruby, East Bank Essequibo yesterday, escaping with cash and jewellery after beating a man and his wife.

Villagers were shaken by the incident and most were critical of the police response time afterward, saying that the robbers could have been caught.

The attack occurred at the Lot 120 Ruby Village home of Fizul Mohamed, 36, at about 1 am yesterday, and lasted almost half an hour. The gang of men made off with $70,000 in cash as well as jewellery and other items. No one was arrested yesterday but the police said investigations were continuing.

A bruised Mohamed told Stabroek News yesterday that he was awakened by his wife, Bibi, who had heard the neighbours' dogs barking and she spotted the men outside when she peered from their bedroom.

Guns and  a crowbar

The couple's two children, a four-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, were at home at the time. Mohamed said he quickly armed himself with a cutlass and went downstairs to confront the men. Three men subsequently forced their way in through the backdoor, two of them armed with guns and the other with a crowbar. The bedroom was about twelve feet from the backdoor of the one-flat house.

Mohamed dropped his weapon - cutlass

Mohamed dropped his weapon and the robbers told him they wanted three million in cash. He said he didn't have the money and they began to beat him with the crowbar. His wife begged them to stop and they beat her too, until she handed over the $70,000, her husband's salary for the month. They also took a quantity of jewellery, a cellular phone and wristwatch.

They began to beat him with the crowbar

 

At one point during the robbery, the couple's children awoke and came out when they heard the fracas. The gunmen ordered them to go back into the bedroom, while they kept beating the couple and demanding more money. Mohamed said he felt like fighting back as the men beat him. "That was all me got," he told them at this point, "And if y'all want anything more y'all could kill me!"

After that they left on foot through neighbouring Farm village.

The couple later found out that their phone line was cut and they were unable to call the police. But neighbours, who had heard their screams, said they had already phoned the police although there was no response until long after the men had escaped. One neighbour said the police were called about three minutes after the robbery started. Neighbours also said that in addition to the three men in the house there were also five other men waiting on either side of the yard.

They criticised the police response, calling it "unprofessional." They said if the police had gotten there earlier they might have caught the gunmen.

Mohamed, who is assistant logistician with an NGO said both of his children were traumatised. His four-year-old looked frightened. She was crying and refused to go into the house yesterday. He said he did not want them to sleep at the house last night and they were to sleep at relatives instead. There were also reports of other people in the village who were scared of returning to their homes yesterday.

Mohamed said if he could have, he would have moved out for his children's sake. He called for the President, the Home Affairs Minister and the Police Commissioner as well as religious groups and other organisations to ensure that something is done so that r homes.