#Headlines

Armed robbers injure PIU officer, escape with over 9m CFA

Jul 1, 2020, 12:30 PM | Article By: Momodou Jawo

Armed robbers have reportedly struck at Kerr Pateh village in the North Bank Region and injured one Cpl. Mboge Bam, an officer of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) who was posted at the PIU base of the said village, The Point has been reliably informed.

The armed robbers had laid ambush before attacking three shops belonging to Mauritanian nationals and made away with more than eight million CFA. They also went away with hundreds of thousands of dalasis. The robbers were reported to have ambushed the PIU base in the village and held key places within the village.

A source who is familiar with the matter and spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity described the incident as “petrifying” taking into account that the victims have lost huge sums of money that they used for their businesses.

The robbers, our source added, were reported to be more than 20 in number. Our source further stated that the robbers were armed with local guns and cutlasses among other weapons. Cpl. Bam was wounded in his waist and head by the robbers who used cutlass on his body.

Ahmed Lamin Dada, one of the shopkeepers who spoke to our reporter in an interview said almost all their savings had been looted by the robbers.

The robbers, he went on, attacked the village around 2 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “They open fire in the air in order to cause panic in the village and later ambushed the PIU base.”

Mr. Dada claimed that the robbers made away with more than five million CFA from his shop plus more than D100,000, saying that the money was kept in his house. “They came with weapons, destroyed the vault and looted our money.” 

Meanwhile, another source who is also familiar with the matter and spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity, said the robbers also made away with D250,000 from Muhammed Mutarr’s shop plus 1.5 million CFA.

Our source added that one Liman Faal’s shop was also attacked by the robbers and took away more than D175,000 plus more than 3 million CFA.

However, all efforts to reach Liman Faal and Muhammed Mutarr proved futile.