Bandits tied up a 90-year-old man and his relatives, forcing them to lie on the floor, during a violent home invasion in Caroni on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 11 am Kelly Village.
Police reports said a doubles vendor was reversing his vehicle into the driveway of his home when he was confronted by four occupants of a silver Toyota Aqua.
One of the suspects exited the vehicle brandishing a cutlass and knife.
He covered the victim’s head with a jersey and proceeded to strike him multiple times with the cutlass, causing injuries to his head and right arm.
The suspect was joined by his accomplices, who forced the doubles vendor into his home and confronted his two relatives, ages 90 and 69, who were inside.
They demanded money and robbed the doubles vendor of an undisclosed sum of cash, which represented the day’s sales. The bandits forced them all to lie on the floor and tied their hands with tie straps.
The intruders then ransacked the home, stealing $13,000 in cash – the family’s savings – from a wardrobe drawer, along with a gold berra valued at $10,000.
The 69-year-old victim, a woman, was also robbed of a gold chain with a pendant and a ring valued at $5,000. The suspects then fled in a car.
Emergency Health Services personnel provided on-site medical attention to the victims.
The doubles vendor was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex for further treatment. Officers from the Caroni Police Station, led by Sgt Francis, and PC Rackal and WPC Davis of Central CSI, visited the scene.
The police were unable to immediately retrieve surveillance footage as the suspects removed the DVR from the home’s security system. Ag Corporal Halls of the Caroni CID is investigating.