After a lull of a few weeks, during which their attacks shifted to the West Coast Berbice, armed bandits resurfaced in East Berbice on Thursday night robbing an East Canje businessman and three of his friends.

Thirty-six-year-old Kamaldeo Atondeo called 'Ringo' of Naresh Street, Canefield and three of his friends were robbed of a quantity of cash and jewellery at around 7.50 pm by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The businessman's mother who lives with him was in the upper flat of the building at the time of the robbery. Within five minutes of launching their surprise attack the men were fleeing the scene on bicycles owned by the businessman's three friends.

According to Atondeo, who operates a grocery store and take-away service, "me and my friends were sitting in the shop when the two men walked up. The one with the gun pointed the weapon at me and told me to take everything off my skin." He handed-over four gold bands which he said were valued at approximately $400,000. His three friends were robbed of $48,000 in local currency, US$300, one cell phone and four gold chains.

Shortly after fleeing the scene, the men were collected by a hire-car which had been seen circling the area. However, a few alert residents were able to identify the car and its driver by recalling the number.

A few hours later, the car HB 65 and its driver who hails from Sheet Anchor were held by the police. None of the men who perpetrated the offence was masked and according to Atondeo he would be able to identify one of them who he says is a deportee living in New Amsterdam. When Stabroek News spoke with the businessman yesterday afternoon, he was still in a state of shock explaining that it was the first time he had experienced a robbery.

On Wednesday night an Albouystown taxi-driver and his girlfriend were robbed by two armed men on the Number Seven Village, West Berbice, beach. The driver was shot in his right buttock while the woman in his company was reportedly raped by one of the attackers. Two suspects were held the following morning at Number Three Village. Last Sunday, a family was robbed by a lone gunman at the Number Seven beach while picnicking.

The police suspect that the man who robbed the family last Sunday was also involved in last Wednesday's crime and is one of the two detained following Thursday's search and cordon exercise. Over the past two months, there has been a lull in armed robberies in East Berbice but at least three have been reported on the West Coast over the past two weeks.

The police in 'B' Division (Orealla to Abary Bridge) are of the view that a heightened presence and increased patrols on the Corentyne may have been responsible for the decrease in crimes in the area and resulted in a shift by criminals to West Berbice over recent weeks.