Widower
set alight
by thugs dies
The widower whose Non Pariel wake house was invaded by
an armed gang last week has died from the burns
suffered when the thugs set him alight.
Haroon Rasheed of Lot 362, Non Pariel Housing Scheme,
East Coast Demerara died shortly before midnight on
Sunday at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The 56-year-old Rasheed had been severely burnt over a
large portion of his body and when Stabroek
News visited him last week he
was wrapped in bandages.
He was among the victims of a robbery spree last week
Wednesday when some 12 bandits stormed the area,
disturbing a wake that was being held for Rasheed’s
wife Amina Rasheed who had died in a hit
and run accident a week earlier.
Rasheed had told Stabroek News from his hospital bed
that he was playing dominoes, when the bandits marched
into his yard.
He said he was the first to be attacked with a
thumping lash with a cutlass across his back, then a
gun-butt to his left ear, and another lash on his
face.
Then the bandits reportedly moved into his home, and
it was while he was resisting them he was soaked with
kerosene and set alight. The bandits also threw
kerosene oil on others at the wake but only Rasheed
caught afire.
Rasheed who had lost sight in both of his eyes was
still bleeding slightly behind his ears up to Friday
last. His face was badly burnt and the flesh had
blackened, and the skin on his chest and abdomen had
peeled away.
He had been suffering from a stroke at the time of the
attack, but was still able to move around.
When Stabroek News returned to
Non Pariel yesterday, neighbours said Rasheed’s
relatives in Mon Repos were looking after his funeral
arrangements. Meanwhile, residents in the area are
uneasy and many of them have been closing their doors
earlier than usual. They complained that even though
ranks from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) are not far
away from the village,
there appeared to be no
protection.
They say suspected bandits have been allowed to pass
through their village and throw derogatory and racial
remarks at villagers. They are
calling for regular police patrols in the area.
That part of the
East Coast has been targeted by armed gangs ever since
the crime spree erupted following the February 23
jailbreak.
Wednesday
September 4, 2002