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Six armed men on Sunday carried out a brazen attack on a Brazilian mining camp at Puruni, Region Seven and

The injured Brazilians after the attack

terrorised the owner’s brother and several workers while demanding money and gold.
The injured man was identified as Raimundo Malhaeo. He was reportedly struck to his head by one of the men with a gun after he refused to hand over the gold. Other miners were also gun-butted in the hope of them handing over the precious mineral.
After beating the men, the gunmen threatened to kill them if they remained on the camp grounds and told them they would return. A few of the men reportedly left in a helicopter while the others did so by land.
Three of the men were subsequently identified by the miners as three well-known businessmen in Bartica.
It is believed that the attack stemmed from the double purchase of the mining block that the Brazilians were occupying for the past three years. The mining block was reportedly sold to the Brazilians by Marcus Debareu.
Speaking with Guyana Times, an official of the mining company stated that at the time of the attack, the owner, Nide Carneiro Malhao was not on site.
She explained that a few years ago, the businessman would have purchased four blocks for a total of $60 million, but was only given the paperwork for one. To date, the legal paperwork for the remaining three blocks has not been handed over to the Brazilian.
The woman stated that from all indications, the raid on the camp is intended to motivate the Brazilians to pack up and leave. Guyana Times was further told that based on information gathered, the block that the Brazilian was occupying was resold to another businessman.
Guyana Times further understands that one of the men who were spotted in the helicopter was recently in hot water after he defrauded a businessman millions of dollars while another was about to have operations at his camp halted by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
The Police have since launched an investigation into the attack and a report was made to the GGMC on the issue.