3 suspects held for Penal home invasion

SOUTH Western police arrested three men on Wednesday night at a house in Penal in connection with the attack on a family on Tuesday. Bandits entered the family’s home, chopped a woman across the eye, threatened to kidnap her four-year-old daughter and bit a pensioner’s hand. The suspects are in their 20's.

Led by Sgt Gookool and Cpls Bhagan and Boodlal, police received "vital information" and arrested the men at about 9 pm. PCs Nanan, Khaleel, Ramdath and Morean, of the Penal CID are assisting with the investigations.

At about 2 am on Tuesday, three men with cutlasses kicked down the wooden front door of the house at Suchit Trace in Penal. They attacked Nishan Bissoon, 30, who was sleeping on a chair. The men went into a bedroom occupied by Bissoon’s brother, Navin, 32, his common-law wife, Annisa Ramnarine, 28, and their four-year-old daughter. The couple and their daughter were awakened by the noise and saw the armed men inside the bedroom. Their faces were covered with bandanas and they were demanding cash and jewellery.

Navin, a labourer, and Ramnarine told the men the family had neither and the bandits became enraged. One jumped on the bed saying he was going to snatch and leave with the child.

Unarmed, Narvin went to help his daughter and a struggle ensued. His brother came in the bedroom and together they wrestled the men who chopped Nishan on one foot and Ramnarine near her right eye. She received 22 stitches at the San Fernando General Hospital where her brother-in-law also received stitches.

The men's stepfather Jairam Bedasie, 74, and his wife were asleep in another bedroom, but the commotion also woke them up. Bedasie thought Ramnarine and Bissoon were arguing. When he went into their bedroom, the bandits were on top of his stepsons. Bedasie was about to hit the bandits, but one bit him on his right hand.

The bandits stole $2,000 of the family's sou-sou money and ran to the street and in a white getaway car which sped off. The pair of slippers from one of the men was left behind.