Tuschen shopkeeper brutalised by armed bandits

The injured woman at the West Demerara Regional Hospital on Monday

A mother of two is now a patient at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) nursing severe injuries following a beating she received from three armed men who stormed her Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo home on Sunday evening.

Jasaline “Usha” Zaman, 31, a businesswoman of Black Water, Phase Two, Tuschen Housing Scheme, was brutally beaten with guns by the three men who escaped with an undisclosed sum of money, jewellery and a quantity of phone cards.

Guyana Times understands that one of the bandits was subsequently arrested on Monday morning and was at the Leonora Police Station assisting with investigations.

According to information received, Zaman operates a grocery shop in the area and about 19:30h on Sunday, she closed her business for the day, but before going into the upper flat of the house, she went to use the washroom located at the back of the house.

The three armed men reportedly subsequently scaled the fence, pulled her out of the washroom and started to assault her while demanding money. Suresh, an uncle of the businesswoman, disclosed that at the time of the incident, the woman’s two children were at home.

He explained that after the men pulled her out of the washroom, they duct-taped her hands and mouth and took her to the upper flat of the house where they continuously asked for money and jewellery. While upstairs, they locked the woman’s five year-old daughter in a room and also gagged and bound her eight-year-old son.

The shop that is operated by Zaman

Out of fear, the woman reportedly handed over a quantity of money and jewellery to the men but that was not enough. They continued to assault the woman and asked for the day’s earnings from the shop.

Again, she cooperated and told them that that money was in a black plastic bag in the shop. They demanded the keys to the business which were handed over. However, the door was not locked, so two of the men then went into the shop and collected the money and a quantity of phone cards.

During the ordeal, the woman’s son managed to free himself, jump over the fence and raise an alarm which saw residents running to render assistance. Upon seeing this, the three men scaled the fence and ran towards the bushes.

Suresh further explained that residents picked up the woman who was covered in blood and immediately contacted her husband, Ramesh Narine Sammy and informed him of the incident. He, in turn, contacted the Police and reported the matter.

About 10 minutes later, the husband arrived at the home only to see his wife bleeding about the body. He collected her and rushed her to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where she was treated and subsequently transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where she was admitted.

Guyana Times was told that the three men were taken into the area in a white motor car which was parked some distance from the house, but after the driver heard the child screaming, he reportedly drove away.

Persons in the neighbourhood saw the car, but did not realise it was involved in the robbery. Nevertheless, the three men were left behind. They reportedly hid in the bushes and as the place got brighter on Monday morning, they were seen making their way out.

The Police were contacted and one of the men arrested while the remaining two escaped. The suspect in custody had a quantity of phone cards that were taken during the robbery. The Police are on the lookout for the other men.