Two male bandits were shot dead on Sunday night by ranks of the Guyana Police Force during an exchange of gunfire, shortly after they robbed six persons at Seaforth Street, Campbellville.

TWO Traffic constables attached to the Central Police Station in New Amsterdam were on Monday afternoon observed acting suspiciously around a hire car owned by one of them after their tour of duty had ended. They ended up being busted with a quantity of marijuana.

‘B’ Division Commander Errol Watts has since confirmed that the ranks have been placed under close arrest and the matter is currently being handled by Criminal Investigation Department ranks in Georgetown.

Guyana Chronicle understands that the behaviour of the cops caught the attention of a senior officer, and he questioned their presence in the vicinity at that time. Not being pleased with the ranks’ response, the officer requested the keys to the heavily-tinted vehicle; and when the constables refused to grant that request, the officer decided to break the driver’s side window to gain entry into the car.

The senior officer reportedly searched the inside of the car but found nothing. However, upon opening the trunk, he found a rice bag in which a shoulder bag was concealed. On opening the shoulder bag, the officer discovered two transparent plastic bags which contained leaves, stems and seeds believed to be from the cannabis sativa (marijuana) plant.

The two constables were promptly placed under close arrest, and the items, which in their presence were found to weigh 5kg, were seized. The two ranks were told of the offence and statements were taken from them.

The policemen have since denied knowledge and/or ownership of the bag and its contents. Investigations are continuing.

Mary Elizabeth, 75, of Suddie Sea Road, Essequibo Coast, is thanking God for sparing her life after she was robbed of cash and clothing, early Monday morning.
According to information, around 02:45h, the woman heard a knocking sound at the northern window of her house while she also smelt something burning.Sensing that something was amiss, the pensioner decided to make inquiries and rushed out of her room.
To her dismay, she stumbled upon the male suspect, whom she recognised. The bandit then held a knife to her neck and ordered her to go into her room and hand over the money.
The woman complied and the suspect then collected $45,000 cash and a quantity of clothing. He then made good his escape.
The matter was reported and the Police promptly responded.
The suspect has since been arrested.

ONE of three bandits was apprehended Thursday afternoon in a daring robbery in which they tried to rob a fireman at the Diamond Fire Station, East Bank Demerara, police confirmed.In police custody is the driver and the vehicle that was used during the act.

Reports revealed that the desperate bandits decided to enter the fire station compound to commit the robbery on plain clothes firemen when an alert was raised by one of the firemen, resulting in the gate being locked.

The robbers who panicked decided to flee the scene when they were pursued by the firemen and police and were cornered. One was apprehended while the others escaped.

The police were commended for their prompt response. Firemen have expressed frustration about the incident, calling on the authorities to installed surveillance cameras and backup generators.

Armed bandits on Sunday morning pounced on an East Coast Demerara (ECD) couple who had just returned home after closing their business in the City Mall at Georgetown.

The incident took place after 01:00h as the couple drove into their First Phase, Good Hope, ECD yard.

Guyana Times understands that after arriving home, the couple opened their remote-controlled gate and drove into the yard. They were about to enter the garage to park the car, while the gate was closing when a silver-grey 212 Toyota motor car pulled up into the driveway and three men, two of whom were armed, exited.

The men rushed into the yard and ordered the husband and wife duo to hand over their valuables. At the time, they were carrying the day’s sales from their business. During the struggle, the bandits gun-butted the wife to her head before taking possession of the couple’s belongings, including an undisclosed sum of cash, three cellphones and a handbag containing documents, keys and other valuables.

The three bandits then rushed to the car, where a fourth person was waiting in the driver seat, and they drove away, making good their escape. As the men were making good their escape, the wife raised an alarm, alerting neighbours.

One of the neighbours related to this newspaper that he was in his yard a few houses away from the victims when he heard the woman shouting “Thief! Thief!”. The man said he, along with a few others, rushed over to the victims’ home and was told by them of what just transpired. The Police were subsequently summoned. The investigations continue.

When contacted on Tuesday, a senior Police Officer within C Division (East Coast Demerara) told Guyana Times that no one has been arrested for the robbery. However, he noted that two sets of fingerprints were lifted from the scene and were sent to Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters where they are being run against the database for any matches.

Police are on the hunt for a former Tapir driver after he severed the hand of a woman who he claimed to have loved and chopped her mother several times.
The incident took place on Christmas Eve at Number 70 Village, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).

The injured women have been identified as Bhartie Udho, 23 and her mother Amika Udho, 42, who are both presently hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
According to reports, the two women and three other family members left their home to go to Corriverton for a Christmas Eve walk.
According to Abdul Ali, he heard screams shortly after his family left the house and as he ran out, one of his daughters was rushing home. The suspect, he said, was seen opposite his home.
“I see he going through the street with a cutlass in his hand and then I run and see my wife lie down in blood. She had a chop on her chest and one on her forehead and I go to pick her up and she say to go and check my daughter.”
According to the man, his daughter was a short distance away with multiple chops and one hand severed. “Was share blood and just the skin holding the hand and she had chap on she finger…” he related.
The suspect has been identified as Shamar Mohamed Ali, also known as ‘Crab Man”. He has since gone into hiding.
Guyana Times understands that the family had secured a restraining order from the court, preventing the suspect from coming within a certain distance of them, after attempts to kidnap the younger daughter.
The father explained that twice in 2012 the man kidnapped his daughter and on both occasions she managed to escape during the night when he was asleep. Similar incidents also occurred in 2013 and 2015.
Following the last incident, the young lady, a teacher, was able to escape and return home; Ali attempted to break into the house to get her. It was then that the family was able to secure the restraining order.
It was reported that the teenager had to give up her teaching job because of the harassment.
The father is of the view that officers at the Skeldon Police Station have done nothing to assist and have not acted on any of the reports made.
“Every time they pick him up and they tell us that we got to go to court, nothing don’t happen. When we go to court no case don’t call and the Police release him. I fed up running to the station…” Ali said in grief.
The hunt continues for the suspect.

As crime continues to spiral out of control, bandits in the wee hours of Wednesday morning torched their way into Hardware Emporium General Store and carted off a safe containing an undisclosed sum of cash.

The men reportedly gained access to the Church Street, Georgetown premises by scaling a fence which separates Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) company and Hardware Emporium General Store, after which they torched a square opening in the metal gate.
According to reports, they then made their way into the building but not before locking the door to the living quarters of the caretaker from the outside. The bandits also cut the main power supply to the building which ultimately shuts down the security system and cameras.

When Guyana Times visited the location on Wednesday morning, detectives were taking statements from employees and the caretaker of the entity. A supervisor, Errol (only name given) told Guyana Times that when he arrived at the location at about 07:55h, he saw a trolley in front of the building and thought something was amiss since only him and another employee had keys to the building.
“It is only me and another employee have keys… and we have to open the door simultaneously… so when I saw the trolley, I know something wrong,” he iterated. However, by this time, the Police had arrived, leaving the man no other assumption other than the business was burglarised.
“We get information from the people at the Bank that they saw movements in the place but by the time they come over, the bandits had already left.” He said a number of items were removed from the office but was not at liberty to disclose such, since his employer was not available at the time this newspaper visited the scene.

He is also of the belief that the office was the intended target for the bandits. In addition, he noted that the elderly caretaker had to break the bottom of the door to get out of his dwelling quarters since the door was locked from the outside.
Balwant Bhaichandeen, a brother of the business owner told Guyana Times that he received a telephone call from a Police Officer at about 07:35h and enquired if he was related to the owner of the store and after he responded in the affirmative, he was told that the business had been robbed.
He immediately sent two employees over and arrived at the scene himself a little later. Bhaichandeen was told that a safe that was in his brother’s office was removed and the area ransacked. “I was also told that the bandits torched a hole into the metal gate to gain access to the building,” he noted. He could not say with certainty what was in the safe but was almost sure it would have contained money.
He also thinks that it is quite unusual that days after a new security system was installed, the place was burglarised. This is the first time the business was broken into since its 15 years in existence.
The Police have dusted the area for fingerprints as they continue their investigations. No arrests have been made in connection with the robbery.

A man, who has so far been identified as “Dougla” was on December 23, 2016, killed during a fist fight with another man at Iguana Creek, Cuyuni River. Reports are the now dead man and the suspect were imbibing at a “bottom house” when an argument ensued. This eventually led to a fight, during which “Dougla” reportedly fell to the ground.

He was subsequently picked up and transported to the Bartica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The suspect has since been arrested and is assisting with investigations. Guyana Times understands the now dead man started working in the interior a few weeks ago and was only referred to as “Dougla”.
The Police believe that he is from the Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and have been in contact with their counterparts at the Charity Police Station to assist with the identification of the deceased. Nevertheless, the Police are asking anyone with information that will lead to the positive identification of the man to contact them on telephone numbers 455-2238, 455-2241, 225-6411, 227-1152, 227-2272, 227-1270, 911, or the nearest Police Station.
His body was then transported to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Crematorium.

A North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini) man was on Wednesday slapped with a possession of narcotics charge.
Lawrence Joseph, 63, a farmer of Mabaruma, Region One, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.
He denied the charge which alleged that on December 25, 2016, at Mabaruma, NWD, he had in his possession two grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The Prosecution had no objections to bail, although the illegal substance was found in the defendant’s bag. He was released on $170,000 bail and the case will continue on February 21, 2017.

Illegal aircraft

In light of a report that surfaced in a State-owned media outfit, which suggested that two senior members of the Joint Services were fingered in the landing and operation of an illegal aircraft at Yupukari, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has denied the allegation that its officers were involved in the operation of the illegal aircraft.

However, the Police Force in a press statement further stated that the report was prepared after a Board of Inquiry (BoI) recommended that a Police Officer be disciplined for use of excessive force on a civilian during the course of the inquiry and not for any act prior to the discovery of the aircraft.
On the other hand, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in responding to the article, also refuted claims that any of its ranks were involved in any illegality involving the discovery of the aircraft. In fact, the Force stated that the misleading headlines tend to give the impression of ranks being directly involved in illegal activities.
The published report stated that a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a Second Lieutenant of the GDF were removed from their posts following the commencement of the BoI.
It was reported that the final report into the investigation concerning the plane cited the GDF officer for abandoning his post when he was asked to stake out the area where the plane was found and also he has been accused of tampering with the scene of the investigation.
With respect to the Police Officer, the news entity reported that the final report proved that he physically assaulted civilians at the scene who wanted to report the discovery of the aircraft to the authorities.
On September 13, 2016 a plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials by residents of the area. A Joint Army and Police team, inclusive of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), was dispatched to the location to conduct investigations launched into the sightings of the aircraft. The CoI was appointed on September 28, 2016.
The aircraft bearing registration number N767Z, was first reported to the authorities at Lethem by residents in the area. Following the discovery, a CoI was set up by President David Granger to investigate the landing and operating of the Colombian aircraft.
The report was due to be handed over on November 16 but Brigadier Collins requested an extension since he was of the belief that getting more information from residents about the plane was important.
When the report was eventually handed over, Brigadier Collins said his decision to host public meetings in several villages such as Katoka, Kaicumbay, Yupukari and other villages, along with the Regional Chairman and Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, proved to be a worthwhile exercise, since it allowed him greater insight into the facts discovered during the probe.

A Brazilian who was lured to his mining pit by one of his workers on Wednesday, was beaten to death over a disagreement earlier in the day. The incident took place at Chinese Creek Backdam, Mazaruni River.

The dead dredge owner has been identified as Francisco Oliveria Da Conceicao, 33.

Based on reports, the now dead man was in his mining camp with his girlfriend when one of the workers breathlessly informed him that his dredge had submerged.

Without hesitation, the Brazilian rushed to the mining pit to check on the dredge but was attacked by the same worker and several others. Guyana Times understands that the man was severely beaten, chopped and stabbed about the body.

The man’s body was later found by his girlfriend with several stab wounds. She immediately raised an alarm and the other workers ran to assist but it was too late.

Commander, F Division, Rabindranauth Budhram has confirmed that the murder was committed, while noting that a team of detectives has travelled to the area to investigate the matter.

The man’s body was transported to the Bartica Hospital Mortuary.