As the
bandits fired wildly, the four Policemen who were in the Police car
exited the vehicle. Three of the ranks crawled away across drains.
One narrowly escaped a bullet in the back, reports said.
The senior Policeman said he decided to re-enter the car, as
the men might have wanted a vehicle to carry out further attacks. As
he entered the car, a gunshot knocked his hat off and he flipped the
back of the car seat down and in that lying position, without seeing
anything, stepped on the vehicle accelerator and sped away, he
said.
"It was a fight and we did answer to the call of service and
protection", the officer said.
Earlier, one of the bandits dressed as a member of the Police
'Black Clothes Squad', had ordered Chinese restaurant proprietor Dai
Hong Feng out of his business premises, claiming that he was wanted
at the outpost which is just next door.
Feng, who operates the Jen Fu Chinese restaurant, said he was
serving customers from the bar when he noticed that someone looking
like a "Black Clothes" Police carrying "a long rifle" had entered
his premises.
"They said they wanted me at the station, so I went across",
Feng related.
He said
that while at the outpost he saw four other men dressed like the
"Black Clothes" Police, who suddenly ordered him not to scream "and
everything will be alright". He said they proceeded to remove his
gold chain valued $35,000 from his neck along with cash totalling
$145,000 which was in his trousers pocket.
At
about that time the gunmen had already been holding the ranks on
duty at gunpoint.
Feng said he and Constable Chetram were placed in the lockup
at the outpost, while Constable Pardat was held hostage. The men cut
off all communication links, including telephone lines and
radio.
Chetram was relieved of his uniform and revolver. Pardatt was
forced to accompany the men to where they eventually escaped via the
Atlantic Ocean.
Following
this attack, the men then proceeded to the NBIC bank where two
security guards were robbed at gunpoint of two revolvers, 12 rounds
of ammunition and a communications set.
Later, a security guard at the Laparkan store, also at Rose
Hall, was shot in the head and is hospitalised, Police
reported.
After these attacks, the gunmen then apparently forced
Constable Pardat to lead them to the koker at the head of the dam in
the area that leads to the Atlantic Ocean.
According to a nearby resident, at around 01:30 hrs, he was
awakened by the sounds of gunshots just in front of his house. He
said that when he peeped out his window, he saw a group of about 15
men walking towards the ocean.
Four were dressed in white while the others had on black. All
were dressed in bulletproof vests marked `Police', he
said.
According to the eyewitness, he then observed two men
scampering away in the opposite direction to where the men were
going, while someone was lying on the ground
motionless.
The man lying on the ground, as identified by Police, was
Constable Pardat, whose body was riddled with bullets. A Police
source said he was killed execution style when a gun was apparently
pointed upward to his chin and fired off.
When the bandits reached the koker, they reportedly tied up
the watchman on duty before they made good their
escape.
Ramoo, an eyewitness, reported that after the bandits had
escorted the Chinese national to the outpost, five other armed men
entered the Jen Fu Restaurant at Williamsburg, and ordered customers
to lie on the ground.
The witness said the men were relieved of cash and jewellery
before the bandits escaped.
Residents said the Police were no match to the bandits who
sported high-powered rifles such as AK-47 and M-70.
Taramattie Pardat, wife of the slain Policeman, said her
husband left home at about 19:30 hrs to walk to work about 100 yards
away. She said that at about 12:15 a.m. while looking at television,
she heard rapid gunfire and tried telephoning the outpost, but heard
a scrambling sound.
"I
panicked and became a bit fearful and decided to telephone Whim and
Albion Police stations, but the telephones were 'ringing out'", she
said.
As
gunfire continued, the wife said she quickly turned off all her
lights.
"I
then felt bullets in the house, and on the roof. I rushed with the
children in the back bedroom and we all hugged each
other."
She recalled receiving a telephone call at 05:00 hrs from
Constable Ramesh Chetram, who asked her about her husband's
whereabouts. She said Chetram told her that while they were on duty,
loud music was coming from the Chinese restaurant and he (Chetram)
went over to request that they lower it, and on returning to the
outpost, Dai Hong Feng was brought by bandits who removed her
husband's six finger rings along with a gold band with the name
`Parda'. The jewellery weighed 54 pennyweights.
Taramattie said that on hearing this, she subsequently
visited Albion Police Station where she was told that her husband
had been shot in his chin.
She recalled it was just six weeks ago that they left Black
Bush Polder where they had resided for many years, to live closer to
the outpost where her husband worked for some years.
"The transportation cost was high, and at Black Bush there
was no electricity, so we decided to come to Rose Hall to have a
better life", she sobbed.
Residents said they were defenceless.
At
the home of Constable Kissoon, a black flag hung from a pole outside
the house he used to live. His wife Bhagwandai could hardly keep
back the tears as she related that her husband joined the Police 21
years ago. She said it was only five months ago that her husband
rejoined the Force after being away for a number of
years.
Relatives said they feel a lot of pain, anger and grief, not
only for Kissoon's death but for all those who were brutally
murdered.
They want the authorities to "stop talking" and "start
acting".
Kissoon had planned on attending his 19-year-old son's
graduation from the Guyana School of Agriculture this
Friday.
His four-year-old son was yesterday constantly watching every
vehicle on the road to see when his father would be
home.
Zohara Afiz told this paper that she is lucky to be alive and
was high in praise to God who she said heard her prayers and
protected her.
But, her husband Mohammed said he felt timid and would
remember the ordeal, which lasted one hour, for a long
time.
He
expressed disgust with the increase in crime and said, "I just feel
like packing and leaving". He, nevertheless, praised the Police for
their quick response, although they were no match for the
bandits.
Meanwhile, Hema Hussain related from her hospital bed that
after the bandits left the front house, they proceeded to where her
family resided. She recalled that although her home was secured, the
bandits used a chainsaw to gain access from the
verandah.
Tearfully, she remembered being beaten with the butt of the
gun as the bandits who had ordered her to lie on the floor proceeded
to ransack the bedroom.
She recalled seeing five men, all dressed as members of the
'Black Clothes Police'. They also had on bulletproof vests. She said
that although she gave them the jewellery she had, they continued to
beat her with the weapon until she lost
consciousness.
Sheik Hussain said although the bandits were given money and
jewellery totaling some $500,000 along with an undisclosed amount in
foreign currency, the bandits continued to hit him all over his
body.
"They told me that was not enough; they lashed me on my head,
and I too lost consciousness." He said that on regaining
consciousness he saw his wardrobe broken into, while his wife was
lying on the floor bleeding profusely from a head
injury.
"I
saw death last night, I begged the Almighty to save me" said
Hussain, as he recalled seeing three of the men dressed in Army
camouflage, while two were in black.
The Police said a manhunt has been launched for the men and
all security arrangements have been intensified.
Tuesady, July 23,
2002