Three masked men staged a brazen robbery at a grocery and game shop in East Canje Saturday night and held 15 customers and the business owners at gunpoint before escaping in a customer’s car.
Premchand Seelochan, the 62-year-old business owner, was still traumatised when the News Room visited him Sunday.
He recalled that it was approximately 22:00hrs and he was in his kitchen when a masked man with a cutlass entered and attacked him and his wife.
Mrs Seelochan was hit in the head with the handle of the cutlass, while her husband was relieved of a gold ring and watch.
This bandit then entered the shop and forced the business owner to empty the cash register; it was then Premchan realized that two other masked men with guns were holding the customers at gunpoint.
“Outside the two a dem get like 15-20 people on the ground and take away everything them had; phones, jewellery, money and car keys,” the businessman told the News Room.
During the 15-minute ordeal, it is alleged that the bandit with the cutlass went to the upper flat of the house and attacked Premchan’s daughter-in-law and his 3-year-old grandson.
“He [the bandit] ask if she ok and said ‘nice chain, can I have it? And took it off.’
“He then ransacked the whole house and carry away all we jewellery, money and phones, then he go and carry away the security camera box with the footage,” the businessman said.
The businessman’s son, Neil Seelochan, was gun-butted to the head when he tried to fight with the bandits.
“He was outside and he back turn so he didn’t see when them come in and when he realise wha happening, he pick up a bottle but one a dem went next to he and he say ‘oh you want play hero?’ and lash he in [the] head with the gun and buss it.”
The bandits threw away two car keys and escaped with a Toyota Allion that belongs to a customer.
The car was subsequently found abandoned at the back of Smythfield in New Amsterdam on Sunday morning.
The family has been operating the business for over 20 years and this is the first time they were robbed.
They are unable to assess how much was lost but noted it as in the millions.
So far, three persons have been detained as the police investigations continue.
