A Princes Town couple endured a terrifying ordeal in the early hours of Tuesday when four masked bandits broke into their home, assaulted them, and escaped with cash, valuables, and even the keys to their cars.
The attack unfolded around 3 am in Cleghorn Village, where police said the victims, a labourer and his partner, who operates a small parlour business, had secured their home the night before and were asleep when the intruders struck.
The men, described as slim to medium build and dressed in black with their faces covered, forced entry by removing louvre panes from a side window. One of the assailants, armed with a knife, beat the male victim, while another inflicted a cut to the woman’s hand during a struggle. The couple were then tied up with cloth as the bandits ransacked both the house and the adjoining shop.
The intruders made off with an undisclosed amount of gold jewellery, $4,000 in cash, two mobile phones, assorted cigarettes, a jump-start battery pack, and the keys for a purple Nissan Almera and a silver Mazda 323. They escaped through a bushy area at the back of the property.
Officers from the Princes Town Police Station, including PC Dennis and PC Khan, responded quickly, interviewing the victims and reviewing CCTV footage. Crime Scene Investigators lifted fingerprints believed to be workable, while statements from the couple were expected. Police also advised them to seek medical treatment.
Meanwhile, investigators have appealed to anyone with information to contact the Princes Town Police Station or Crime Stoppers.
In a separate incident, Freeport police are probing a major housebreaking and theft incident in Chase Village, in which a 61-year-old woman returned from a trip to find her home stripped bare.
The victim told investigators she secured her Robert Street residence around 7 pm on August 8, before leaving for an extended period. When she returned at about 12.30 pm yesterday, she discovered the front door forced open and the interior of the house completely ransacked.
Among the missing items were two washing machines, three air conditioning units, a refrigerator, water heater, sewing machine, water pump, 40-inch flat-screen television, three 20-pound LPG gas tanks, and even electrical wiring stripped from the walls. Police are still tallying the overall value of the stolen property.
PC Rampersad visited the scene, where Crime Scene Investigators carried out their work. Several residents were interviewed, but officers said no useful leads emerged. Attempts to locate CCTV footage in the area were unsuccessful.
Investigations into both cases are ongoing.
