Bandits put cutlass to child’s neck during Sheet Anchor robbery – Father

…robbed of $375,000, 5 phones

A 32-year-old chef has said that armed bandits assaulted him and his two young children during an early-morning robbery at their Sheet Anchor, East Canje home, escaping with $375,000 and five cellular phones. The robbery occurred at approximately 03:00h on Sunday. Police reported that the victim and his children were asleep when two armed men confronted them. The chef said he awoke to someone choking him and saw three men standing beside his bed. He said none of the men wore masks. According to the father, one of the intruders pointed a gun at him and repeatedly demanded money. When he told them that he did not have any, one of the men allegedly struck his son in the head, awakening the child.

The chef said the bandits then turned their attention to his daughter. “They grabbed her and they put the cutlass to her neck and said if I can’t give them the money, they’re going to kill the child in front of me,” he related. The father said he then remembered that he had money which was to be given to his mother for safekeeping as it was a donation. The chef said the bandits took him and the children downstairs, where his son was forced to open a shop operated on the property. The attackers then removed money, packaged snacks and other goods from the shop. He further alleged that the men slapped his son while attempting to remove a band from the child’s hand. The father said he was punched in the abdomen and head, stamped in the back and later tied inside a room. During the ordeal, he said, one of the bandits made a phone call and according to the victim, the person on the other end of the line told the attackers that he had money and urged them to shoot him. The attackers continued searching the premises before placing him in a room and leaving. About 15 minutes later, he managed to free himself and he said he took the children upstairs, secured them in a room and returned downstairs to ensure that the bandits had left before taking the children to their grandmother. Police said the perpetrators escaped with $375,000 and five cellular phones valued at a total of $333,000, placing the reported loss at $708,000.