A United States based Guy-anese trader was robbed of his
luggage and a quantity of local and foreign currency on
Sunday, shortly after he returned home from the Cheddi Jagan
International Airport.
Mohammed Haniff, 57, a resident of Queens, New York and
of 20 'A' Abary Street, Bel Air Park, told Stabroek News
that he had just reached home when he was attacked. Two men,
armed with handguns, one of whom was masked, approached him
from behind, pointed a gun in his face and requested that he
surrender all his money.
Haniff recounted: "One ah dem asked me where de f***ing
money deh? We come fuh de money. And the other one held his
gun to my brother-in-law who was assisting me to take my
suitcases out of the car." He said the men forced him
and his brother-in-law to lie face down and one of them ran
his hands through their pockets.
Haniff, who is still recovering from the shock of the
incident, told this newspaper that because of the recent
spate of armed robberies and which resulted in murders, he
decided to remain calm and let the men carry on.
"I ain't fight up at all. I made no resistance, even
when one of them took off my shoe, maybe to see if I had
money there," he said. The man said he had placed his
pouch on a table in his garage. The pouch contained US
$5,000,TT$1,000and $29,000 in local currency and his
passport and US green card. He said the men saw the pouch
and one of them picked it up and began searching it.
When he saw the cash, he alerted his accomplice, who then
collected Haniff's suitcases, tossed his passport on the
parapet and quickly escaped in a waiting maroon-coloured
wagon, which he said had no number plate at the back.
Haniff told this newspaper that the ordeal lasted about
five minutes and it was impossible for the neighbours to
hear what occurred because the men were quiet and discreet.
He said the driver of the taxi which had brought him down
from the airport was not harassed or questioned by the
gunmen. But Haniff added that he is familiar with the man
since he has brought him from the airport on several
occasions.
Haniff said all the money, which is equivalent to over
$1M, was not his and added that he was asked by friends in
the US to make some deliveries. He said his suitcases
contained a quantity of floor mats, curtains, glue and
batteries along with personal items.
The father of five said he usually travels home once or
twice a month and would import mainly household items to
sell here and would export vegetables to sell in the US.
Haniff has reported the incident to the police and this
newspaper understands that the taxi driver has been taken
into custody for questioning. Police are continuing
investigations.
