Man robs Princes Town family, leaves stolen cellphones behind

Princes Town CID are searching for a man who broke into a house and robbed an elderly woman and a male relative of valuables, including two cellphones.

The thief also made the relative, a 33-year-old man, to drive him near a cemetery in New Grant. In his haste to get away, the man forgot the stolen cellphones.

The police said the ordeal began before dawn on Tuesday at the family's home on Petit Café Road in Princes Town.

At around 3.30 am, a 69-year-old female victim was awakened by a man's voice in her bedroom.

The unknown man announced a robbery, saying he had a gun.

He also demanded her valuables. Fearful for her life, she handed him some jewellery, a cellphone, and $100.

He ordered her to wake up the male relative in an adjacent room. The relative had returned home from work minutes earlier at around 2.45 am, locked the doors and went to sleep.

The thief robbed him of a cellphone, gold jewellery, and $1,000.

The thief then ordered him to take him to his van and told him to drive towards New Grant.

On reaching a cemetery, the man ordered the driver to stop, got out and ran off, leaving the two stolen cellphones in the van.

The man is of African descent, is medium-built and has a dark brown complexion and a tattoo of a knife on his left hand.

Princes Town police were alerted and searched for the culprit, who could not be found.

They later learnt the man got into the house by prying a window open.

PC Clarence is leading investigations.