POLICE in North Eastern Division are commending the work of a neighbourhood watch group in Aranguez whose members helped alert officers to a home-invasion where a family of five was badly beaten and robbed on Sunday night.

Police said Fazeela Ghany, her parents Rasheed and Rasheeda Ghany and other relatives were at their Ramlal Street, Aranguez home at around 8.14 pm when four bandits stormed the house through an open gate.

The bandits assaulted Rasheed and Rasheeda and threatened to shoot them.

A 15-year-old relative was also badly beaten by the bandits who used a metal curtain rod as a weapon.

Speaking with Newsday at the home on Tuesday, Fazeela said she was still shaken after the incident and is unsure how to better secure her home after the attack.

She noted that despite having sturdy gates and security cameras, bandits continue to target her family, as she revealed her brother had been robbed six times over the past ten years.

[caption id="attachment_1010419" align="alignnone" width="907"] Aranguez/Warner Village councillor Amit Sooknanan who visited the Ghany family on Tuesday after the home-invasion the night before. PHOTOS BY ROGER JACOB -[/caption]

Ghany said she relied on a neighbourhood WhatsApp group to call for help.

"I kept dialling 911 and all I was hearing was that I should hold for the next available operator.

"I then realised I had the neighbourhood watch chat group.

"In a situation like that I couldn't type, I just sent a voice note in the group calling for help.

"About six minutes after I sent that out, a police inspector who is in the same group, told me he was on the way." A man believed to be one of the bandits was shot and killed by police who responded to the incident.

Ghany said the incident was deeply unsettling to her family and she called on the police to increase their presence in the community.

Noting that her home is in a relatively secluded part of Aranguez, far from the main roads, she said better police visibility is crucial in deterring future attacks.

Contacted for comment on Tuesday, a North Eastern Division police source said there are continuous patrols in that community but officers also encouraged residents especially those living in relatively remote neighbourhoods to form groups in order to spread information and call for help during emergencies.

"We need to thank the neighbours since the only reason the bandits were held was because there was a neighbourhood watch with a WhatsApp group who alerted us quickly.

[caption id="attachment_1010418" align="alignnone" width="828"] BEATEN LIKE A DOG: One of the family members who was assaulted by the intruders shows off the welts on his back after he was beaten with a curtain rod. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

"Such groups are definitely a step in the right direction and we need to have more engagements like this among residents where they look out for each other."

The officer said bandits responsible for home-invasions in Aranguez are usually from outside the area and are from Port of Spain, Laven