Bandits stalk

RESIDENTS of Couva and Point Lisas are being advised to be on the lookout for a gang of bandits who have robbed four people in separate incidents while they were awaiting transportation.

The latest robbery victim was 33-year-old security officer Rajnanan Maharaj. He was standing at Savonetta Junction in Point Lisas on Saturday at about 7.10 pm, when a black B-13 Nissan Sunny with three men, two of East Indian descent and the other of mixed descent, stopped.

After he was asked if he was travelling to San Fernando, Maharaj got into the car. Within minutes of leaving the Savonetta roundabout, the man sitting next to him announced a hold-up. The front seat passenger, he said, pinned the lower part of his body by reclining the seat. Maharaj said he was dealt several blows about the neck, back and wrist by the three bandits who demanded his cash, wallet and ATM cards. The bandits also took a number of personal documents including his ID card and drivers permit.

Maharaj said the bandits then drove to a bank at Point Lisas plaza where the bandits used his ATM cards to withdraw money from his account. Maharaj said he received a constant beating from the bandits and was eventually put out on a lonely road near the Brechin Castle factory. There, a gun was placed to the back of his head and he was told to run.

Maharaj flagged down a passing police car and was taken to the Couva Police Station where a report was taken. He was then taken to the Couva District Hospital where he was treated and discharged. Nurses advised him to have X-rays done on his back, arm and neck.