Stabroek News
April 20, 2001

The police have reported that two overseas-based Guyanese families were robbed at Haslington on Wednesday while on their way to the Corentyne from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

In a press release issued yesterday, the police said that persons armed with cutlasses and knives took away US$10,500 (approximately $2M), $60,000, ten suitcases, six pieces of hand luggage, one American passport and two airline tickets.

A relative who was travelling with the families was also robbed of his licensed .32 Taurus revolver and 16 rounds live .32 ammunition, the release stated.

The families were attacked when their vehicles got caught up in the traffic congestion caused by the funeral procession of the late Donna McKinnon.

Four persons received injuries, including a ten-year-old girl of one of the families who was chopped on her left thigh, the police reported. One man was chopped on his right index finger, one was chopped on his left wrist while another was chopped under his neck.

Six suitcases were taken from a minibus and four from a car, the police said. The front and rear windscreens of the bus were smashed and the rear windscreen and left side window of the car were also broken.

The police said they were investigating a report from one of the victims that a television talk-show host was present at the scene of the robberies and had encouraged the attack on them.

Meanwhile, police and army patrols had to extinguish several fires at Buxton, Golden Grove and Friendship on Wednesday night and during the early hours of yesterday morning. The patrols are being maintained on the East Coast Demerara.