Bandits beat, choke elderly Berbice woman, hold husband at gunpoint during robbery

A 61-year-old woman is nursing severe pains and other injuries to her body after she was brutally beaten, choked and stomped on by bandits who invaded her lot 56 Alness Village, Corentyne Berbice home in the wee hours of Saturday.

Somawattie Rajgopaul and her 61-year-old husband Samuel Rajgopaul called ‘Sam’, a rice farmer, were awakened by three armed bandits who entered the house by removing the grill form a bathroom window.

They stole approximately $500,000 in jewellery and two cell phones.

Mrs Rajgopaul told the News Room that at around 03:45 hrs she was alerted to the sounds of “thief thief”, by her husband who was held at gunpoint in the next bedroom.

“I think he was dreaming so I called on him. He say ‘yes! Thief, close your door’.”

The terrified elderly woman recalled that the bandits also threatened to shoot her husband while another one wanted to chop him.

Mrs Rajgopaul said she bolted her door but the bandits kicked it down, grabbed her by the neck and choked her as they demanded that she hand over “the money and gold”.

When she told the bandits she did not have any money, they threw her to the floor, beat and stomped on her.

“He start stomping me in my ribs, my face, all over saying he gon f$@#ing kill me if I don’t stop holler,” a distressed Mrs Rajgopaul told the News Room.

After searching in the bedroom, the bandits found a box containing the jewellery but they were not satisfied and continued to choke the elderly woman.

The bandits eventually escaped and neighbours took Mrs Rajgopaul to the Port Mourant Hospital.

Police are investigating.