Brazen daytime burglary in East Canje: $1M in cash and jewelry stolen from teacher’s home

A teacher and small business owner in East Canje, Berbice, is reeling after her home was broken into and ransacked in broad daylight on Tuesday, with thieves escaping with an estimated $1 million in cash and jewelry.

The victim, Shaleeza Ramcharran, who teaches at Viola Nursery School and operates an MMG, printing, and stationery business, said the shocking discovery was made when she returned home around 2:45 p.m. to her Lot 80, Canefield Settlement residence.

“I observed that the door was looking not the way I left it. It was looking a little unusual,” she said. “So I got on the phone and I called my husband and told him that the door is looking kind of strange. And then when I proceeded and I opened the door, I saw that the house was ransacked. I went in and everything was ransacked from downstairs. I went upstairs, upstairs was ransacked.”

Ramcharran said the intruders made off with a substantial amount of cash and valuables.

“I’m an MMG agent. I had MMG money, I had money to carry on the house, like over $500,000 in cash. I had my kids’ jewelry, my jewelry, my husband’s jewelry. Everything,” she lamented.

She added that several high-end personal items were also stolen.

“They even took my husband’s brand-name boots, other brand-name colognes and perfumes. He had like about five bottles of brand name rum, Johnny Walker, and they just took everything.”

The teacher estimated the stolen jewelry alone to be worth about $400,000.

“My kids, I’ve been making jewelry for them since they were little, so I won’t be able to say how many pieces, but the value is like over $400,000 in jewelry,” she said.

Visibly shaken, Ramcharran said this was the first time her family has experienced such an ordeal.

“I’m quite shaken up and I’m hurt and sad—lots of emotions. I work so hard for my things, and then they just gone. I think of somebody just coming and take them,” she said tearfully. “I’m hoping for the police to do a proper investigation and I could get back my stuff.”

The Guyana Police Force has since launched an investigation into the burglary. Detectives are pursuing leads as they work to identify those responsible.