Buxton gang shoots man in head
-after robbing Annandale shop
By Samantha Alleyne
Stabroek News
January 18, 2003
Armed men robbed an Annandale shopkeeper yesterday morning then shot another villager in the head leaving him in critical condition.
Forty-two-year-old Jainarine Singh also called `Teach', of Annandale Housing Scheme underwent emergency surgery for the bullet to his head and is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital. The retired teacher was said to be in need of blood.
Four men on bicycles entered the shop of Vick Parsaram of 128 Marshall Street, Annandale at around 11.45 am and escaped with about $110,000 which they took from the cashier after placing a gun to her head.
The men, whom villagers said had accomplices waiting for them at the corner of the street, retreated into Buxton. Villagers said while some of the men were on bicycles others were on foot and they fired shots as they left.
Onlookers recalled that some of the gang strolled away believing their gunshots would have kept at bay the large number of residents who came out to see the commotion.
Recounting the ordeal to Stabroek News Parsaram said that he was in his verandah reading when his cashier ran upstairs hollering "Vick! Vick! Deh gone with the money."
He said he was shocked by the news as he had no idea that his shop was being robbed until he heard gunshots and saw the men escaping on bicycles.
Because of the crime situation and the fact that Annandale has become a steady target for criminals from Buxton, some shop owners have resorted to selling to their customers through closed gates.
Parsaram said he does this but would sometimes allow customers to enter the shop. It was while his security guard was letting out a customer that the men struck.
He said the guard told him that he had seen the men and was frantically attempting to close the gate but the men were too quick and forced their way in.
They placed a gun to the cashier's head and ordered her to open the inner door before taking the money from the drawer. As the men were fleeing they opened a barrage of gunshots in the village.
The victim, Singh, had been in a nearby yard with four other men and it appeared the gunmen felt threatened. One of the five told Stabroek News that two shots were fired into the yard and as everyone ducked for cover, Singh was hit in the head and fell to the ground.
The police were called in, followed by members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who rushed the man to the hospital. His friends showed Stabroek News his bloodied cap left hanging on a stave and indicated where a hole was left in it by the bullet that hit the man. His friends said that there were about seven men in the gang and they were all armed.
It was not the first robbery committed on Parsaram who said he has been a steady target. He has increased security but said he could never be sure when the men would strike. Villagers said that men from Buxton could often be seen riding around on bicycles driving fear into residents.
This latest attack comes days after the army and the police launched `Operation Saline Solution II' in Buxton. The operation has so far yielded little and the law enforcers were unable to nab the bandits yesterday or Thursday's kidnappers of Guysuco employee, Navendra Mangal. Mangal was freed after an hour of beating and threats.
