Bandits shoot female shop owner in head
A 41-year-old East Canje businesswoman is now a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the New Amsterdam Hospital after she was mercilessly shot in her head during a robbery at her business premises, Neezam Grocery and Haberdashery Store, on Monday evening. According to information, the woman, Angela Hussain, a mother of four, and her husband Fizul ‘Neezam’ Hussain, along with three of their children – Shivana 17, her 14-year-old sister and eight year old brother- were at home in the two-storey wood and concrete building at Lot 62 Second Street, Palmyra, East Canje, Berbice, which houses a grocery shop below. The eldest child was not around at the time. He works in Georgetown. The family was about to close the business around 19:30 hrs on Monday, when the five armed, masked bandits barged in. The men immediately shouted “nobody move” and ordered them to lie on the ground. The bandits demanded cash and jewellery and began brutalizing the family.
Shot in head: Angela Hussain
Injured: Faizul Hussain
Three of the bandits were armed with guns, while two had cutlasses. Two kept guard outside and fired shots to keep residents at bay, while three remain in the house and continued to terrorise the occupants. Residents from a nearby wake house were forced to retreat as the bandits threatened them not to venture any closer. Residents said a number of shots were fired inside and out of the premises. The men concentrated their attack on the woman as they ransacked the shop and took all of the day’s sales. They demanded more money and after being told there was no more (cash), one of the bandits held the woman by her collar and pointed a gun to her head before firing a shot, as the other intruders kept an eye on the rest of the family. The thieves were not satisfied. They returned to where the other relatives were and demanded cash and jewellery from Fizul Hussain. When he refused, he was struck about the head with the gun, a wound which required stitches. The three children were also struck on their heads and other parts of their bodies with guns.
The shop owner’s home
Although injured, the woman was dragged upstairs. In the meantime, Fizul Hussain used the opportunity to scale the fence and ran through a swampy field. However he was spotted by one of the bandits who was armed with a cutlass, Hussain managed to seek refuge in a neighbour’s yard. The bandits left by foot and subsequently boarded a dark coloured car that was parked in a side street and had no number plate. All of the men wore toque masks with the holes cut out for the eyes and mouth. According to residents, the ordeal lasted for more than 30 minutes and the police took some time to respond. The woman was picked up and rushed to the hospital by residents where she was admitted for emergency treatment. A number of persons have been detained as investigations continue.