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.