AK-47 gang invades home

Trader shot dead

Mortally wounded father sends son to hide

Wife, daughter and brother-in-law injured

A gang of heavily armed bandits stormed a Cove and John, East Coast Demerara home last night, killing a businessman and wounding his wife and another relative.

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Kumar Singh, 39, succumbed at the Georgetown Hospital around 21:45 hours, less than an hour after the attack.

His wife, Indroutie, received a grazing wound to her head, while the other relative, Jose De Souza, who was visiting from Suriname , was shot several times in his foot.

Sources said that the men who were armed with AK-47s barged into the yard and immediately opened fire, wounding Singh and the overseas-based relative.

They then stormed into the house and held the other occupants at gunpoint, demanding firearms and cash.

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It is believed that the bandits were aware that visitors from overseas were staying at Singh's residence and seized the opportunity to carry out their attack.

Speaking with this newspaper at the hospital shortly after the incident, the dead businessman's daughter, Rihanna, said that her aunt and her family had just arrived from Suriname and were on their way to Brazil to do business.

She said that soon after bathing her children, her aunt and her family were sitting outside with her father when four gunmen barged into the yard.

She said that the men shot her uncle and her father, and then demanded cash from her aunt.

“Dem tell me sister fuh give dem all de money, $7 million.

She said that her sister did not respond, but she responded by telling the bandits, “Me nah get seven million dollar ah house.” She related that the bandits then said they had come for the gun, to which she responded, “Awe nah get gun.”

She said that the bandits then carried her upstairs in a bedroom and told her to look for all the cash.

“Me tell dem me nah know whey me mammy money deh.”

The bandits then started to beat her with a gun. They also beat her mother and her aunt with guns.

According to Rihanna, the bandits attempted to carry away her aunt's daughter who had come from Suriname .

She said that her aunt pleaded with the bandits, telling them that her daughter was not a Guyanese; they subsequently left her alone.

Rihanna, who was bleeding from her nose, recalled that the men destroyed several things in the house while searching for cash and jewellery.

According to Rihanna Singh, the men who she estimated to be about seven in number were not wearing masks.

Rihanna stated that the men emptied everything from her aunt's bag.

She said that she told the bandits to take everything and leave her alone.

She stated that she kept looking to see if her father was still alive since the bandits had already shot him.

“Dem had big, big gun and some small ones. Was nuff ah dem but dem send out some pon de dam,” she added.

Her brother, 12-year-old Shivraj, who was unaware that his father had died when he spoke to this newspaper, said that he was downstairs feeding his dogs when he heard the first gunshot.

“Me run go hold me father and he tell me run go hide inside the back toilet,” Shivraj told Kaieteur News.

He said that he did not see the men who were already in the house.

A resident who lives close by recalled that he was watching television and upon hearing the first gunshot, which sounded very close, he took to the floor and remained there until he was assured that the bandits had left.

News of the businessman's death was greeted by loud wailing from relatives who had gathered at the Georgetown Hospital , forcing onlookers to constrain them.

Even at the scene of the robbery many expressed shock when they too received word that Singh had succumbed.

Police recovered several 7.62x59 spent shells, which is commonly used in the AK-47 assault rifle, 9mm shells and a warhead from another small calibre weapon.

This newspaper was told that the men fled into the backlands and made good their escape.