Businesswoman, special needs daughter victims of home invasion

Armed men forced their way into the home of a 78-year-old businesswoman and her adult daughter with special needs before dawn on Tuesday in Philippine, on the outskirts of San Fernando, and threatened to kill them.

Shirley Baliramsingh said she was contemplating migrating and taking her daughter, Diane, with her.

The woman recalled begging and crying for the gunmen to spare her life and her daughter’s life.

“I am shaken. I feel weak. I cannot stay here. Crime is getting worse in the country. I never expected this to happen here. I thought I was secure because I had security cameras and burglar-proof. I was praying to God that they did not rape or kill me,” the woman said.

“I begged them not to kill or rape us. My children (abroad) told me to forget about the buildings, and think about my life and leave (TT).”

Baliramsingh and her daughter returned to TT on November 19 after spending time abroad with relatives.

Baliramsingh recalled that someone shook her at around 2 am on Tuesday and woke her up. She saw three unknown armed men wearing dark clothing in the bedroom she shared with her daughter.

The men ordered her to remain quiet, and she complied.

As she lay on her bed, a gunman sat on a side table, pointing a gun to her head, asking for cash, jewels and other valuables. Apart from the gun, the men had a piece of iron and a “long knife.”

“I thought I was dreaming or something. My daughter took a pillow and hit one on his back. She is in her 40s. She started to bawl,” the elderly woman said.

“They were three young guys, and one spoke with a Spanish accent. The one with the accent was the one who sat at the bedside with the gun to my head. I asked to use the washroom, and they said no.”

The men tied her hands and feet using telephone cords as well as the cord from a computer mouse.

One also used one of her shirts to cover her mouth. They also tied up her daughter.

The bandits ransacked the entire house, stealing an estimated $100,000 worth of jewellery, about TT $15,000, US $2,000, bottles of rum, her Qashqai car, a DVR, TV and other electronic devices.

The police learned that the bandits entered via a back door in a prayer room.

The bandits also removed several small murtis, which were secured on a shelf, and put them on a nearby table.

The Baliramsingh family rents properties to people. The bandits even asked about the whereabouts of a former tenant.

After freeing herself, Balliram alerted neighbours, who called the police.

Southern Division police responded and searched for the bandits, who remained at large up to Tuesday afternoon.

President of the Greater San Fernando Area Chamber of Commerce (GSFCC) Kiran Singh said the southern business community has, once again, been shocked and horrified by another home invasion from criminals.

He added that the businesswoman thought she was adequately protected by burglar-proofing and security cameras.

“These lawless youths have no respect for elders, authority, or protective services. What else are we supposed to do to protect ourselves from these bandits? This peaceful area experienced a deadly hit on a female entrepreneur just a few months ago. Is it that we are not safe anywhere in this country anymore?” Singh said.

“We are supposed to feel safe in the confines of our homes. Incidents like these rattle the confidence of law-abiding citizens, leaving a lifetime of emotional scars. How are they supposed to continue living in that house after this burglary?”

Singh called for the society to advocate for harsher penalties for criminals.

He added, “We pray that these bandits are caught and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”

No one has been arrested, and San Fernando police are investigating.