More than one week after a miner was stabbed to death in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market area, he was on Monday positively identified as the younger brother of Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud.

The dead man was identified as Haymant Persaud by the Police Commissioner at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) mortuary. The Police, on Sunday, sought the assistance of the public to identify the man who was stabbed on February 19 last.

Guyana Times understands that after the photo of the dead man was published, it was only then, the Police Commissioner knew it was his brother.

At the time the man was stabbed to death, he was clad in a pair of long jeans and a blue and white chequered long sleeve shirt, slim built, about six feet in height, low haircut and fair in complexion.

Based on reports reaching the Guyana Times, a woman suspected to be involved in the stabbing to death of Persaud, was arrested but was released since at that time, the Police did not know the identity of the man.

It is believed that Persaud, who had apparently returned from the interior, was sporting in the vicinity of Stabroek Market and was throwing money ‘wild west’.

The female suspect, who was close by, joined in the drinking spree after which Persaud was reportedly lured to the washroom area at Stabroek Square where he was attacked by two men who attempted to relieve him of his money and other valuables.

The now dead man reportedly put up a fight, but was stabbed by one of the men who whipped out a knife. Several people in the area reportedly witnessed the stabbing incident and believed that it was the female suspect who set up the robbery.

Further, the Guyana Times was told that after the stabbing incident, public spirited citizens ran to the Guyana Fire Service for assistance in taking the injured man to the hospital, but the ranks on duty at the time refused.

The ranks reportedly went to the scene and after they realised he was dead, they left the scene. The ambulance service was then contacted and the man was picked up and taken to the GPHC where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Upon receiving news of the fatal stabbing, Guyana Times contacted the Public Relations Department, but at the time it was not in receipt of any report of the murder.

Nevertheless, the Police are continuing their investigations with the hope that the female suspect would release the names of the men who committed the heinous crime.

FOUR ranks attached to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) was placed under close arrest after an intelligence-led investigation found they were instrumental in facilitating the smuggling of an AK-47 assault rifle out of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, on Tuesday.
An official statement from the Guyana Police Force on Wednesday noted that on February 28, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters conducted an operation, during which a motor car was intercepted and one AK 47 rifle was discovered in the said vehicle. The driver was promptly arrested.
According to the statement, detectives acting on further information, contacted four ranks from the Tactical Services Unit and placed them under close arrest. “Earnest efforts are underway to trace the origin of the high-powered rifle. The probe is ongoing,” the police statement noted.
However, this newspaper was reliably informed that a private vehicle drove into the CID compound on Tuesday evening and stayed there overnight. This was observed by ranks in the compound and they decided to place the vehicle and its occupants under surveillance.
When the vehicle attempted to drive out the CID head office compound, a search was carried out and a force issued AK-47 was found. This newspaper understands that a Police Corporal was immediately placed under close arrest while his civilian friend was detained for questioning.
In addition, several other ranks, including a senior officer,are being grilled by their colleagues as the probe widens. Senior officers of the GPF,including the Public Relations Officer,were tight-lipped about the incident yesterday.

Several fishing boats were on Sunday last attacked and robbed of their outboard engines and other items by suspected pirates operating in the Waini Area of the North West District (NWD) of Region One.
The fishermen were also terrorised and beaten by the group of pirates, who had painted their faces as a disguise and were reportedly speaking English and Spanish.
One of the boat owners, a resident of Annandale, East Coast Demerara who requested not to be named, told Guyana Times during a telephone interview that he received a call from his captain at about 4:00h on Sunday, relating what occurred. He explained that, based on reports received, the men pulled up in a boat propelled by a 75-horsepower engine and painted in red, blue and yellow, and made their way into his boat, where they held the captain and four workers at gunpoint.  Thereafter, several of their numbers took off his boat’s two-48 horsepower Yamaha outboard engines and placed them into their boat. One worker was struck to the head and other parts of the body as he attempted to resist the pirates, who then boarded their boat and left the scene.
The victims managed to make their way to the Waini police outpost, where an official report was made. The boat owner posited that police in the area searched the water top, but found no sign of the boat fitting the description that the victims gave the police. The victims had gone to fish in the area six days ago, and were due to return home in a few weeks’ time.
This East Coast resident has been in the fishing business for the past six years, and has never previously been robbed by pirates. He recounted that he had once been attacked, by the attackers had left without taking anything.  Meanwhile, in order for his crew to continue working in the Waini area, he has made arrangements to send them another outboard engine that he had at home.
The businessman is calling on the relevant authorities to looking into the issue of piracy. He claims that while it is not being perpetrated on a large scale, small fishermen are targeted. Since taking office, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has focused heavily on piracy in the Corentyne area, and from all indications, a decline in this illegal activity has been recorded.

… suspect on bail for $9M casino robbery – Crime Chief

A suspect in the Princess Hotel Casino $9 million heist, along with four other suspected accomplices, was on Saturday nabbed moments after committing a robbery at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. Richard Junior Stewart, who was granted bail for the casino heist, is presently in Police custody assisting with this investigation.

Guyana Times was told that a customer, having just withdrawn $330,000 from a commercial bank at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, was departing the bank’s premises at about 11:00h when he was pounced upon by Stewart and his four accomplices and relieved of the bag containing the money. Thereafter, the five men jumped into a car and fled the scene. The Police were contacted, and based on the description given to them by the victim, intercepted the getaway vehicle and arrested Stewart and the four other men, who are all characters known to the Police. When contacted, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed both the occurrence of the robbery and the arrest of the five suspects. He also related that Stewart had been released on bail in connection with the Princess Hotel heist, which occurred on April 29, 2016 at Providence, East Bank Demerara. In addition, Stewart is on bail on illegal possession of firearm and ammunition charges that were brought against him.
Stewart, Wayne Griffith of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara and Andrew Blackman of 60 Middle Street, McDoom East Bank Demerara were arraigned in connection with the casino robbery. It was reported that the trio, along with others, robbed the Princess Hotel cashier of a total sum of $8,951,000. During the robbery, several workers and patrons of the casino were shot and injured. In addition, Lance Corporal Andrew Richardson was shot during a gunfight with the men while responding to a report of the robbery.
It was reported that Stewart and three other men, all armed with guns, entered the casino and discharged rounds in the air. The men held up the security guard who was on duty, and took away his shotgun and ammunition before ordering everyone to lie on the ground. They then took the security guard to the cashier’s cage, where they held up the cashier and took away the money. Police ranks responded to a report received and confronted the bandits at the hotel; and in the ensuing gunfight, the police rank was shot.
The five men are, in the new week, expected to be charged in connection with this robbery which occurred on Saturday at Diamond, EBD.

The teenager who was positively identified as the prime suspect in the stabbing to death of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud’s brother has admitted to his involvement in the heinous act.
The teen, who hails from C Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, during interrogation, reportedly gave a detailed account of how he murdered 51-year-old Haymant Persaud of Essequibo Coast, on February 19, 2017.
Guyana Times was told that on the morning of the murder, the suspect was at a friend’s stand at Stabroek Market Square when he saw the now dead man at another vendor attempting to purchase an item. His friend, also a vendor, was asleep and the suspect was looking over the business.
The teenager reportedly told detectives that as he looked closer, he noticed Persaud wearing a “fat” gold chain. As the man was finished with his purchase, the teenager admitted that he followed Persaud and in the vicinity of the washroom area, he carried out the attack.
During the confrontation, the teenager and Persaud were engaged in a scuffle and it was during this time, the suspect whipped out a knife and inflicted the fatal blow on Persaud’s body. After the miner fell to the ground, the teenager reportedly ran to the Sophia bus park where he boarded a minibus and went home.
Persaud was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. At that time, the identity of the dead man was unknown. However, almost a week after the Police decided to publish the photo of the dead man and it was then, Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud who is on annual leave recognised it was his brother.
An investigation was launched during which the Police received information and went to the house of the teenager where he was arrested. Upon his arrest, he was positively identified as the killer by persons, who witnessed the murder.
The young man is expected to be charged this week. The Police are in the process of wrapping up the case file to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack for legal advice.

One butcher attempted to butcher another butcher in a violent altercation that occurred on Monday at Georgetown’s Bourda Market, and one man has been hospitalized following that stabbing incident.

Reports are that during a heated argument which erupted between the two butchers in the vicinity of the Hack’s Butchery inside the Bourda Market at about 08:00 hrs on Monday, one of the butchers grabbed a knife and stabbed the other, even as traumatized patrons looked on helplessly.
This newspaper was told that after he was stabbed, the injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital in an unconscious state. His identity has not been disclosed to this publication; and late Monday afternoon, two senior ranks of the Guyana Police Force indicated that they were not aware of the incident. Hospital sources have, however, confirmed that the injured butcher is a patient at that facility.

Abotched robbery executed in the wee hours of Tuesday morning has resulted in the shooting death of one of three male bandits. According to information received, the would-be robbers invaded the premises of the Guy Gas Complex at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara just before 02:00h Tuesday.

Reports are that an armed security guard observed the suspicious movements of the three men at about 01:30h, who at the time were making their way into the complex via the western fence. The men armed with a cutlass and a knife approached the security guard who in response discharged several rounds at them.

One of the men fell to the ground a short distance away, while the two others ran towards a nearby creek which leads to the Demerara River. The Police were summoned and a knife and cutlass were discovered at the scene. The dead bandit’s body was discovered with two gunshots wounds and was found in the vicinity of the western fence.

Guyana Times understands that up to late Tuesday afternoon Policemen were still combing the waterways in pursuit of the other two bandits. Up to press time, this publication did not ascertain the identity of the bandit who was fatally shot.

The Police are on the hunt for three East Coast Demerara residents, who carried out a brazen robbery on an overseas-based Guyanese, mere hours after arriving in the country on Tuesday evening last.
Two of the wanted men are nephews of the victim, while the third in a known bandit in the area. The robbery was committed on Ganesh Looknauth of Lancaster Housing Scheme, Unity, East Coast Demerara.
Reports reaching Guyana Times indicate that as the man drove his motor vehicle into the garage, he was confronted by the three men; one of whom was armed with a handgun. They reportedly held him at gunpoint and relieved him of the suitcases he was carrying. The trio then demanded cash and jewellery among other valuables. The man was relieved of a large quantity of cash he had in his possession.
This publication understands the money was proceeds from a property he sold recently. Looknauth was also relieved of close to US$3500, a wedding band, a quantity of clothing and several pairs of footwear. The clothing and footwear were reportedly emptied from the suitcases.
After committing the robbery, the men made good their escape after which the victim raised an alarm. The neighbours ran to the scene and after realising that the man was robbed, they immediately contacted the Police.
Police are continuing their investigations.

The suspected bandit who was shot and killed while attempting to commit a felony on the Guy Gas main office at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was identified as Troy Simmons of Covent Garden, EBD.

Guyana Times understands that the dead man’s reputed wife positively identified the body at the Lyken Funeral Home on Wednesday.
A Police source told this publication that the woman claimed that after her reputed husband did not return home, she decided to check at the mortuary since she saw the news about an unidentified man being shot and killed.
It was reported that an armed security guard attached to the gas company observed the suspicious movements of the three men at about 01:30h on Monday morning, who at the time were making their way into the complex via a fence.
The men were armed with a cutlass and a knife and approached the security guard who in response discharged several rounds at them.
One of the men fell to the ground a short distance away, while the two others ran towards a nearby creek which leads to the Demerara River.
The Police were summoned and a knife and cutlass were discovered at the scene. The dead bandit’s body was discovered with two gunshots wounds and was found in the vicinity of the western fence. The Police however, are still hunting the two other suspects.

An East Bank Demerara (EBD) family is now terrified after three armed men invaded their property and executed a brazen daylight robbery on Wednesday afternoon.
Their intended target, however, was two overseas-based Guyanese who arrived in the country hours prior to the robbery, leaving investigators to believe that the robbery was set up by the taxi driver, who transported the couple to the Lot 1 Brickery, EBD house from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

Edwin Persaud and his wife Nazeema Persaud were relieved of their jewellery they were wearing at the time but not before being gun butted and beaten. Persaud’s elderly father, Anand Persaud, was also beaten and relieved of his jewellery and so was the housekeeper, who was in the house at the time of the ordeal.
Daughter of the overseas couple, Simone Lall told Guyana Times that her brother travelled to the airport to collect her parents but as he was waiting on them to clear immigration, he went to purchase a cup of coffee.
Whilst there, her parents, she explained, came through the arrival section and did not see her brother and thought that he did not show up to collect them. They were, however, approached by a “tall slim guy” who enquired if they needed a taxi.
They started to converse with the guy and after waited for some time and not seeing her brother, they boarded the taxi. The taxi, she recalled, dropped off her parents at her grand parents’ home and receiving his payments, he left. It was a white car, the terrified couple told investigators.
At about 15:30h, the daughter explained that her father and grandfather were sitting in the veranda when they saw a dark brown Toyota Primo motorcar pull up in front of the house and three armed men exited.
Upon exiting, the men, all who were armed with handguns rushed to the veranda and held the elderly man at gunpoint while instructing the occupants of the house not to raise an alarm. Nevertheless, one of the bandits whose face was covered with a handkerchief discharged a round shattering a glass table.
“They then took my father into the house, put him to kneel on the ground and demanded money… as they were asking for money, they were relieving him of the jewellery he was wearing… they then turned to my mother and asked her for the money and again they took off her jewellery,” Lall noted.
After relieving the couple of their gold jewellery, they demanded money. Lall further explained that the men ransacked the bedrooms with the intention of getting the suitcases but came up empty handed. The suitecases, she said, were kept in another room that was not easily accessible.
After the 10-minute ordeal, the men jumped into the car they arrived in and fled the scene. Her father, grandfather and mother were taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where they were treated and later sent away.
The Police were contacted and an investigation was launched. No arrests have been made.

A New Amsterdam Market vendor (who has requested not to be named) awoke from slumber at about 04:20h on Monday last; and as per normal, opened the door leading to the lower section of her two-storey home – only to be pounced upon by three masked men!

“I just open the door and come outside, and I see this red pants coming up to me; and when I raise up, the man got a gun,” the incredulous vendor detailed. She said the shirtless man was masked and was accompanied by two other masked men, both carrying knives.
The vendor said she screamed, and a neighbour responded. “She asked, ‘What happening?!’ (as she started) running over; and the one with the gun run inside and pick up my bag from the wall, and another (bag) that was lying down.”
That alarm alerted family members, and they rushed to the woman’s aid. The men fled the scene by jumping a fence and then traversing a canal as the vendor’s neighbours gave chase. The men then made their way into the cane field and disappeared.
Later, nearly one mile away, residents discovered a handbag lying along a dam with a few documents scattered beside it. According to the market vendor, there were mostly medical documents in the bags, along with an identification card. The Police were subsequently alerted and an investigation has been launched.
Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam, on Monday said that Police are searching for members of a gang that fit the description of the men who had attacked and robbed the vendor.

A Police investigation is now in full swing after the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/Abary Agriculture Development Association (MMA-ADA) main office in Number 27 Village, Onverwagting (Region Five) was ransacked by bandits during the wee hours of Thursday.

General Manager of the establishment, Aubrey Charles related to the press that the incident reportedly occurred at approximately 00:30h; however, he explained that he was only made aware around 02:30h.
The General Manager expressed his reluctance to impart any information given the premature stage of the investigation.
This newspaper understands that no one was injured during the robbery. Details surrounding the stolen articles remain undisclosed.
Efforts made by the media to contact the Divisional Commander proved futile.

A TAXI driver is counting his losses after robbers stole his silver grey 212 motorcar from in front of his Lot 28 East Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara home last week.
Surujlall Mamass, known as “Dave”, said at around 13:45hrs on Monday, he heard when someone drove off with the car, but by the time he made it outside, it was too late.
The man placed an advert in the newspapers and with the help of a resident; found the shell of this car HB 5488 aback Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, on Thursday, March 16.

“I found the car in the bare shell alone. Everything strip from the car; the door, bonnet, engine, everything gone,” the frustrated taxi driver told the Guyana Chronicle.
According to Mamass, surveillance cameras in the area captured two men stealing his car; however, due to the place being dark at the time, it was difficult to see the faces of the perpetrators.
The driver said even though the police set up road blocks at Vreen-En-Hoop, La Grange and at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, when the incident occurred, he is not satisfied with the pace of the investigations.
“Up to now, the police them nah do nothing to assist me in searching. All wah them tell me, go and search, when me find the car, give them a call. They tell me to go and search,” Mamass lamented.
He believes that if the police were more proactive, the car could have been found the same day it was stolen.

KE TOUNG Wu woke up early Saturday morning to start his daily chores but as soon as he opened his door, he was greeted by two armed men, who immediately attacked him.
The 45-year-old Chinese businessman resides at Lot 36 Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara, where he owns and operates the ‘Lucky Supermarket.’

Commander of ‘D’ Division, Leslie James, confirmed to the Guyana Chronicle that the robbery occurred approximately 06:45hrs on Saturday.
He said the businessman was attacked by two men who were armed with a metal bar. According to the Commander, Ke received a laceration to the head and received five stitches after visiting the Leonora Diagnostic Hospital.
This newspaper understands that the bandits managed to cart off $600,000 in cash, and according to reports, they demanded that the businessman hand over the keys to the gate, after which they opened the padlock and escaped in a minibus.
During the course of the robbery, the businessman panicked and scaled the fence to his neighbour’s yard, where he sought help.

When this newspaper arrived at the scene, investigators were still trying to figure out how the bandits gained entry. The men were not masked as investigators managed to secure surveillance video from a resident in the area.
While no one has been arrested as yet, the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that one of the bandits was identified as “Spanna Toe” while the other is known as “Tattoo Boy” from Parika, East Bank Essequibo.
This is the third time that the Chinese businessman has been robbed.

AN armed bandit was shot dead in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday during a confrontation with a businessman in suburban Bel Air.
Fortunately for the businessman, he was not injured in the shootout, but a friend of his, the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling, was and is currently hospitalised at a private institution.
The fallen bandit, who is yet to be identified, was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to reports, the businessman had just seen one of two friends home in Belvoir Court after a night out at the movies when the incident occurred.
It happened around 00:30hrs as the friend was about to secure the gate to his premises, where he was accosted by two men, one of whom brandished a firearm and ordered him to ‘Freeze!’
The driver, sensing that something was amiss, decided to reverse the vehicle to check on his friend, and came under a hail of bullets as the armed bandit opened fire. In the fusillade, the front windscreen of the vehicle was shattered and the driver was hit on his arm.
The businessman, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle, immediately drew his licensed .32 Taurus pistol and returned fire, hitting the bandit squarely in the chest. His accomplice, not wanting to wait around, took to his heels, leaving his fallen accomplice behind.
The police were subsequently informed of the shooting, and upon arriving at the scene, found a .32 pistol believed to have belonged to the deceased suspect.
They also found seven .32 calibre spent shells and a cellular phone.
The police are reportedly reviewing footage from several CCTV surveillance cameras in the neighbourhood to build their case.
The body of the slain bandit, meanwhile, is currently at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting identification. A post-mortem is expected to be done today.

ON Tuesday night, the silence at Parker Street, Providence on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), was shattered after two gun-toting bandits robbed several persons.
Reports are that around 23:00hrs, two men launched an attack on several residents along the street, robbing anyone they encountered. According to a resident, her brother was sitting outside a shop and while he chatted with friends, a car pulled up a corner away from her home and two men emerged.
She said the men, both of whom were armed and had their faces covered with pieces of cloth, attacked her brother and robbed him of an undisclosed sum of money. She said the men also robbed her brother’s friends and later turned their attention to other persons in the vicinity.
The men then walked along Parker Street in a northerly direction and robbed at least three persons, some of whom were on their way home. According to another resident, the two men threatened to shoot persons as they were being robbed and she noted that persons in the area dialed the 911 police response number but received no response.
Residents noted that a report was made to the police following the incident. It is unclear if any arrests were made. Meanwhile, residents in the area called on the police to place patrols along Parker Street as well as other streets within Providence.
It was noted by a resident that the “four corner” along Parker Street is usually a hot-spot for drug-users and persons engaged in other illicit activities. She said that there are several persons who are involved in gang –related activities, noting that some persons had thrown laced-shoes atop the electrical wires as a sign that there were gangs in the area.
This newspaper observed several pairs of shoes hanging from the wires along the streets adjoining Parker Street. Residents called on the authorities to remove the shoes as a means of sending a message to those engaged in criminal acts.

…residents count their losses

More than 20 sheep were on Saturday stolen from a La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) herder, who is now left counting his losses.

In tears, Mohammed Rafeek, 50, of Independent Street, La Grange, that the incident occurred between 01:00h and 03:00h.

The man, who is also a part-time vendor, explained that he and his family retired

to bed a little after midnight.

However, when he awoke around 04:00h and checked on the sheep only three were in the pen.

Rafeek related to Guyana Times that a rope suspected to have been used to tie the sheep was in the pen.

The herder is uncertain where the robbers entered his yard from, but said they exited through the backyard as footprints of the thieves and sheep were seen on the dam.

Rafeek said in shock he left his home and reported the matter to the La Grange Police Station where a report was taken.

He added that the officers came to his home where a brief investigation was carried out and the rope that was left in the pen was taken into evidence.

However, it was also reported to this publication that Rafeek was not the only person to be robbed of recent. Two other herders also had sheep stolen from them; one lost 16 and the other 18.

Rafeek said it was also disclosed to him by the Police Officers that numerous reports of similar incidents were made at the Police Station.

He is calling for assistance from the public to find his sheep as that is his livelihood.

He is offering a $100,000 reward for anyone who could assist him with his plight. Persons with information are asked to contact 610-7152 and 686-6310

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Wilfred Tennyson, 20, a businessman of 37 Adventure, Essequibo Coast, which occurred at about 01:00hrs Thursday morning.

Reports indicate that the young businessman was shot by a Supernumerary Constable attached to a Security Service. Police investigation revealed that the male suspect, who was armed with a handgun belonging to the Security Firm he works with, left his place of duty and ventured into Tennyson’s shop (License Liquor Restaurant) where they engaged in playing pools; the suspect was said to be imbibing during that process.

Later an argument erupted after the bar owner won a game and the suspect allegedly whipped out his firearm and shot the victim to his right side abdomen.

Tennyson was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where he is in a stable condition. The suspect, who is 32-years-old, and hails from Adventure, Essequibo Coast has since been taken into custody and the firearm lodged.

A businessman is nursing a gunshot injury to his upper right thigh after he went to assist another man who was being robbed by three armed men in front of his business place.
Injured is Ulborne Parker, 35, of Garnette Street, Newtown Kitty, Georgetown. He is said to be in a stable condition.
Reports are at about 19:30h on Tuesday evening, a welder of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was standing in front of a business place at Garnette Street, Kitty, when he was confronted by three men on pedal cycles.
He was subsequently relieved of the two gold chains he was wearing at the time. Upon seeing this, Parker went to the young man’s assistance and was also attacked and relieved of his gold chain but not before putting up a fight.
During the scuffle, one of the suspects whipped out a handgun and discharged a round, hitting the businessman to his upper right thigh after which the bandits fled the scene.
Parker was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated and admitted a patient. The Police are however hunting the three suspects who were caught in the act on surveillance cameras in the area.

An Indian national was shot and injured during an attempted robbery at First Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara.
Reports are at about 23:50h on Tuesday, Brianard Revival, 28, a foreign student, was in the company of his friends when he stopped his car at an intersection and another car drove up in front of his and stopped.
As the car came to a halt in front of his own, a male existed from the back seat with a gun in his hand. The suspect approached the victim and his friends and demanded cash and other valuables.
The Indian national upon realising what was happening stepped on his accelerator and in retaliation; the bandit discharged a round in the direction of the victim’s car hitting him to the upper left arm.
The foreigner was rushed to a private medical facility where he underwent emergency surgery and is presently in a stable condition. The matter was reported to the Police but no arrests have been made so far.
Police are continuing their investigations.

A Chateau Margot, East Coast Demerara (ECD) family is now left traumatised after members were terrorised and robbed by two armed men.
The robbery occurred about 19:30h on Tuesday at the family’s Lot 4C Section B Chateau Margot home and lasted for some 45 minutes.
According to reports, 49-year-old Mohan Lall, along with his 24-year-old daughter, Salomie, and three-year-old granddaughter, was at home sitting in the living room,

in the lower flat of the two-storey house when the two bandits, one armed with a gun and the other with a pair of scissors, stormed into their home and held them up.
In an effort to save their lives, Lall handed over a quantity of cash to the bandits, but not before he was beaten in his head and face. The perpetrators also escaped with a laptop, two cellular phones and several watches.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Wednesday morning, Lall recounted the ordeal, relating that his wife had gone out and did not secure the padlock on the grill door unbeknownst to them. He added that about an hour later, the bandits gained entry into the house through the door after scaling the fence along the western side of the yard.
“Two men walked in, an Indian one and a negro one – he start beat me since he reach in the house. He ain’t ask me or tell me anything, he just start beat me and punch me in my face and then after, he say he want the money or else he gon kill we. Me turn and say ‘Oh friend, is money you want, take the money, nah kill we’,” the man, whose face was swollen, recalled.
He said his daughter handed over about $105,000 in cash to the perpetrators but they were unsatisfied and one of them said they knew Lall had money. At this point, Lall said he complied with the bandits, who escorted the three of them upstairs and one of them took him into the room where he handed over some US currency to them.
“I had $617 US dollars under the mattress and I take it and give him. They then take the three of us and push us in a room and lock the door. Then like them come downstairs and them check around and carry way the computer, couple phones and some watches that went in a bag. After that, they come out and jump over the (eastern) fence and get away,” he related.
Lall added that about 10 minutes later, after they were sure the bandits had left, they came out of the room and contacted the Police, who came sometime after. He was then escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated for a wound on his head and bruises to his face, before being sent away.
Nevertheless, the man noted that the following morning they discovered a pair of slippers in the yard which they believe belonged to one of the bandits, who may have lost them after scaling the western fence to enter the yard. Additionally, they also found a band from one of the wristwatches that were stolen.
Meanwhile, in a release on Wednesday, the Police said that no arrests have been made.

Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Collins, a maintenance worker attached to the Alpha Hotel at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, was Thursday morning shot by Leila Jagdeo, a 69-year-old woman who is known in the area as “Granny”. She reportedly told law enforcement officials after the incident that she had thought Collins was a thief.

According to staff attached to the hotel, the incident occurred at about 06:50h on Thursday, when the man was cleaning the weeds off of a zinc fence which separates the hotel’s premises from the yard in which the elderly woman lives.

Jagdeo was not available to speak to media operatives, but Guyana Times was told that the woman told Police that she had thought Collins was a bandit who was trying to jump into her yard, so, being a licensed firearm holder, she picked up her revolver and fired one shot in the direction of the young man.

The bullet pierced the zinc fence and hit Collins to his abdomen.

Staff from the hotel ran to the young man’s aid after realising what had transpired. They subsequently called the Police, and the injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he is presently in a stable condition.

Staffers attached to the hotel questioned the elderly woman’s reason for shooting at the maintenance worker, since, according to them, Jagdeo knew the man.

“She tell Police that she thought he was a thief, but she know Brandon. She does ask he fuh help she do things around she yard, and he help couple times,” a hotel staff told this media house.

Collins reportedly hails from Berbice, but currently lives in Republic Park on the East Bank of Demerara. He is said to have been employed with Alpha Hotel for approximately three years.

Jagdeo is presently assisting Police with investigations. (Ramona Luthi)

A businessman was in the wee hours of Thursday morning shot and injured during an argument over a game of pool at Adventure, Essequibo Coast.

The injured man has been identified as Wilfred Tennyson, also called Lawrie, 32, of 37 Adventure, Essequibo Coast.

Based on reports received, a Supernumerary Constable attached to a Security Service was armed with a handgun belonging to the security firm to which he is employed. He left his place of duty and ventured into the victim’s shop, and they engaged in a game of pool.

However, an argument erupted after the victim won a game, and the suspect allegedly whipped out his firearm and shot Tennyson to his right side abdomen.

The victim was taken to the Suddie Public Hospital, where he was treated and admitted. He is said to be in a stable condition. The 20-year-old suspect from Adventure, Essequibo Coast has since been taken into custody, and his firearm has been lodged.

But speaking with the Guyana Times at the Suddie Hospital, the injured man refuted claims which suggest that the incident stemmed from an argument, but said rather that the suspect’s firearm accidently went off while he playing pools.

“I genuinely feel it was an accident, there was no argument; and besides, we are friends…the shot just went off by accident,” the victim claimed. Tennyson has undergone emergency surgery to remove the bullet from his abdomen. Police are continuing their investigations.