Elderly beaten, injured in violent robberies

- File photo

POLICE are searching for several suspects following two separate, violent robberies targeting senior citizens in Malabar and Belmont on December 22.

In the first incident, an 80-year-old American retiree was injured while defending her property at the O’Meara Industrial Estate.

Reports say around 2.45 pm, the victim and her husband were seated in their car at the Vulcan Mufflers car park when two men approached the vehicle.

The men announced a robbery and grabbed the woman’s handbag. During a brief struggle, the strap of the bag broke, cutting the victim’s finger.

The men escaped with $9,000 in cash, bank cards, and personal documents.

They fled in a white Nissan AD wagon, registration PCX 8210.

One suspect is described as a slim man of African descent in his late teens, with a large Afro. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue three-quarter pants, and white replica Air Jordans.

The second suspect, also of African descent, is approximately five feet, seven inches tall with an unkempt beard and was wearing a red jersey, a medical mask, and similar sneakers.

Less than 20 minutes earlier in Port of Spain, a 70-year-old veteran was beaten and robbed by four men.

At about 2.30 pm, the senior citizen of Belmont, was entering his Mazda 323 on Cockerton Street when he was accosted. Two of the four men were armed with knives.

The group pulled the victim from his car and beat him before stealing $4,600 in cash, a Motorola cellphone, and his Defence Force veteran’s ID.

The suspects, described as three men of African descent and one of dougla descent, fled south along Nelson Street.

In an unrelated incident earlier that morning, a 39-year-old Valsayn man was robbed by four men posing as police officers.

Around 3.55 am, the victim was awakened by loud knocking and shouts of “Police! Open up!” While the victim was on the phone with the 999 emergency operators, the men kicked in his door.

Two of the intruders were armed with guns and wore blue and grey police camouflage. They ransacked the one-bedroom apartment and fled with $2,000. Investigations into all three matters are ongoing.