Upper-Berbice River man chopped, family beaten during robbery

By Solomon McGarrell

A 33-year-old man of Kimbia, Region 10 (Upper-Berbice), was chopped to his back; stabbed to his shoulder and also suffered injuries to his head by five bandits armed with cutlasses on Friday night around 23:46 hours. According to reports, the man’s brother, sister-in-law and his brother-in-law were beaten by the bandits. He has been identified as Ryon Gladstone, a boat captain, who owns and operates a boat service.

According to the Gladstone’s fiancée, Kayla Fredricks, he made contact with her via a WhatsApp call upon observing masked men, suspected to be bandits, entering their premises. “He called minutes to 12 and I heard screaming in the background; he said we are getting rob and to contact the police at New Amsterdam. I was on the phone with him until the internet was disconnected”, she related.
The woman said she contacted the police in Region Six but was told they would attend to the matter, “in the morning” (on Saturday). At around 09:15hours of this interview, the ranks were preparing to depart the New Amsterdam stelling.
Fredricks said she made several calls to persons in the village who accompanied her fiancé to pursue the bandits but they made good their escape while abandoning the engine boat used to carry out the robbery. It is alleged to be a stolen boat that went missing for about a week in the village.
“He used home remedy for his injuries and he and the other men are somewhere in the bushes right now searching for the bandits”, she disclosed.

The Gladstone’s home was vandalised by the bandits, while they carted off with jewelry and an undisclosed sum of cash.

Reports reaching this media house allege that the family has been suffering at the hands of bandits over the years without any concrete investigation being conducted by the Guyana Police Force.

Police officers of Region Six Division are yet to arrive at the scene to carry out an investigation.