A Coldingen, East Coast Demerara family dismantled their home to flee the area yesterday after they came under attack from three armed men who attempted to kidnap a child from the household.
Reports reaching Stabroek News stated that the attack occurred on Tuesday night when the gunmen descended on the home, physically assaulting members of the household, and relieving the family of cash and other items, before focusing their attention on the child. Reports state that the men however opted not to take the child, rationalising that the family could not muster a ransom.
Stabroek News understands that the family dismantled their home yesterday to move from the area.
Meanwhile, an attempt was also made to kidnap a cart driver yesterday, residents of the area said. They disclosed that two men, one of whom was equipped with a firearm, attempted to abduct the driver while he was travelling along the Coldingen Railway Embankment Road. Residents said the men, upon seeing an approaching Guyana Defence Force (GDF) patrol fled, and the armed abductor dropped a magazine.
Residents, with whom Stabroek News spoke, criticised the performance of the army, who they said while scaring off the abductors, failed to pursue the men. They said numerous attacks occurred in the area, even as army patrols looked on from a safe distance without rendering any assistance.
“Is best the Government move the army from the area, because is just a waste of funds,” one man commented... “They should give we guns and let us defend ourselves because [the army] ain’t doing anything.”
Residents also cautioned against traversing the Embankment Road at night, declaring that it was no longer safe to walk the road during the day and would be incredibly dangerous at night.
Coldingen is one of the villages that has borne the brunt of attacks emanating from Buxton over the last year or so.