A rank of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) attached to B Division (Berbice) is now under investigation after he allegedly stole money from a house at which he went to make an arrest.
Reports indicate that the incident occurred on February 25, 2017 at a Lot 39 Stanleytown, Berbice home. The home is reportedly the dwelling of Tyrone Griffith, who was at the time being arrested.
It is understood that after Griffith – who was in the process of being arrested – accused the specific officer, the other ranks who had accompanied him [the accused officer] reportedly left without completing the arrest.
However, Griffith followed them and demanded that the officer return his money.
The complainant said he later visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and was directed to the Police Complaints Department after which he met with the Deputy Commander, Errol Watts and laid his complaint.
B Division Commander Ian Amsterdam has confirmed that the Police are investigating the matter. According to him, when the matter was first reported to him, the officer at the centre of the investigation was on leave.
Amsterdam explained that upon approaching the officer, who is said to be attached to the CID, he [the said officer] had assured him [Amsterdam] that he would repay the ‘stolen’ money.
However, the accused lawman’s position on the matter quickly changed and he began to deny ever stealing the money from Griffith’s home.
Amsterdam said he ordered an investigation into the matter and a file containing statements has since been sent to Police headquarters in Georgetown.
Since the incident, Griffith told Police that the specific officer had indicated to him that he [officer] wanted money for the Berbice Mash celebrations. The complainant disclosed that the stolen money belonged to his 76-year-old mother.

— drug found in container of perishable goods

ANTI-narcotics agents on Saturday morning intercepted a quantity of compressed marijuana in a container at the John Fernandes Wharf, Water Street, Georgetown during a joint operation.

Reports are that the drug, which was still being quantified at midday, was discovered in a container among perishable goods.
The container arrived recently from Jamaica. Investigators believe the container was tampered with before it arrived at Port Georgetown.
Officers from the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) of the Guyana Revenue Authority, and Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were engaged in the operation on Saturday morning.
It is unclear if any arrest was made.

Last December, the Government unveiled a four-year National Drug Strategy Master Plan. The key elements of the plan include the establishment of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) to counter all aspects of the illicit drug trade, a court to deal with special cases, and reduced sentences and treatment for some offenders.

RIGHTS activist, Ms Jean LaRose was on Monday robbed at gunpoint after making a transaction at a city bank.

LaRose, who serves as the Programme Administrator at the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), shared her experience via a Facebook post following the incident.
According to her, she was “traced from the ATM [automatic teller machine]” by a man who pushed his way past three other customers in the line waiting to transact their business. She said that the man entered the room with the ATMs, but even after she had completed her transaction, he was still in the room.
“He was not at any machine when I noticed him, but appeared to be doing something just a bit off. I’m recalling all of this in hindsight,” LaRose related.
She said that once she made her way out of the ATM, she drove off, and subsequently stopped to make a purchase.
“While reaching for my bag on the car floor after parking to make a purchase, a man pushed a gun at my temple and told me he was going to shoot me if I did not let go of the bag which I was holding on to,” she recounted.
Fearful and terrified, she said she let go of the bag, while the man continued pointing the gun at her and saying he would shoot her if she only screamed.
The woman said she did eventually scream when he hopped into a car that was parked just behind hers and drove off.
“Everything happened so fast! I’m still shaken!” Ms LaRose said, adding: “I’m posting this so you people can be even more careful.”
She later told the Guyana Chronicle that all of her personal belongings, including her house keys, work information, various cards and an undisclosed sum of money were in the bag.
With the loss of these personal items, Ms LaRose said she’s now left feeling very vulnerable.
She has since made a report to the police.
Ms LaRose, who has been a prominent leader in the Indigenous Peoples struggle for their rights, is also a former chair of the Board of Directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL).

A 13-YEAR-OLD girl of Corentyne, Berbice was reportedly raped four times by her stepfather and is now living in fear after he threatened to kill her and her family.

The man was in police custody for some six days and was released on $100,000 station bail, pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This newspaper understands that the 43-year-old Carpenter allegedly raped the teenager four times between August 2016 and February 2017. The teen did not tell anyone about the first three instances but decided to tell her mother on February 23, 2017 after the incident occurred the fourth time.

According to the mother, her daughter told her she cannot live in the house anymore and after she inquired the reason for such a decision, the teenager made the revelation. The teen pleaded with her mother not to confront the alleged rapist, since he threatened to kill the family if she told anyone.

The 40-year-old mother of four explained that when she confronted the accused about what her daughter related, he initially denied it and accused the teen of lying. However, when the mother continued to press the issue, the man reportedly whipped out a cutlass and threatened to kill her and the entire family.

“When she tell me about what happened, he wasn’t at home so I called but he didn’t answer so when he came home I confronted him. I said [name withheld] you troubled her but he turn and say she lying but I said to him I believe her because she said you did it to her bigger sister and your daughters too,” the tearful mother said.

She continued, “He say ‘I gonna murder all of ya’ll in here today!’ My other children were in the house too and when they hear that they run out the house. He had a cutlass in his waist and he pulled out to fire but my 16-year-old son see when he pull it out and we both wrestle with he.”

The woman related amidst tears that as the struggle continued, the cutlass fell out of the man’s hand and she made a dash for the bedroom as her son ran out the house in a bid to escape the enraged man.

“After me son and he scramble and the cutlass fall down my son run out de house and I try fuh run in the bedroom but he pick up the cutlass and start firing chops at me but he keep missing. The fuss one catch the fridge or that would a chop off me neck cause I duck and the second one catch me on the shoulder,” the mother said.

The woman recalled that she started to scream, after which neighbours gathered and took her to the police station in her bloodied state, where she was made to wait for over an hour before anyone took her report.

She was then referred to the Port Mourant Hospital where she received six stitches for the wound. Police eventually arrested the accused and he was detained for six days before being released on station bail.

This newspaper confirmed that the file was sent to the DPP for legal advice last week.

LIVING IN FEAR
Meanwhile, with tears streaming down her face, the woman told the Guyana Chronicle that she and her family are living in fear since the man is walking freely on the streets.

“One time he threatened saying he gonna chop me up and put me in a septic tank and nobody would know,” the mother said. She related that her daughter detailed the first time the man raped her.

According to the mother, her daughter said she was in the shower when the step-father attempted to force his way in but she managed to push him away; however he later made his way into her bedroom where he forced her to have sex.

“She told me when he came in the bedroom she begged him not to do it but he told her its ok he did it to her older sister and two of his daughters, even as she pleaded with him to stop.”

The teenager is visibly traumatised and according to the mother, she [the daughter] is suicidal, since she blames herself for what happened.

“I told her I believe you and we will get through this. She’s a really bright girl and in class she wasn’t concentrating. I had to go into school a few times…she tell me ‘mommy I gonna kill myself’ when she had to help me clean the cut.”

The mother accused the police and the Child Care and Protection Agency of not taking the issue seriously and called on the relevant authorities to ensure justice is served.

A GOOD Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD) family is left traumatised after four armed men attacked them, minutes after arriving home from the Mandir. This is the seventh time that the family has been robbed by bandits.

The bandits pounced on 64-year-old Mahadeo Shiwpal, along with his wife and daughter in front of their lot 36 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara home at about 21:30hrs Sunday night and escaped with millions of dollars in cash, along with the family’s Prado Jeep – PKK 3132.

The jeep was subsequently found abandoned two streets away on the Good Hope Line Top. The elderly businessman and his wife own a stall in the Mon Repos and Plaisance Markets. The wife, Mrs Shiwpal, told the Guyana Chronicle that the family had just returned from the Mandir and she was about to open the gate, when four masked men emerged from a silver Toyota Primo and rushed into the yard. The driver of the Primo was waiting on the gunmen outside.

The distraught woman said that her gold rings and watch were taken away by one of the gunmen, while her 23-year-old daughter and husband were physically assaulted. According to the businesswoman, two of the gunmen then jumped into her husband’s jeep and drove away with it while the other two bandits joined the waiting Premio and escaped.

This is the first time that the family has been robbed at home but they were attacked on six other occasions by bandits at their market outlets. Mrs Shiwpal said that her husband applied for a firearm license but the process has been unsuccessful thus far. The Shiwpals have been operating their business since 1987.

ONE man is in custody as police in “F” Division investigate the death of a pork-knocker, who was killed Monday in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region Seven.

Dead is Phillip Cort, 53, of 32 Queen Street, Courtland Village, Corentyne Berbice. His body was discovered Monday night after police received a call about a fight between two men close to Armu Landing in Cuyuni-Mazaruni.

Police responded quickly and managed to apprehend a suspect, who was involved in the confrontation with the porknocker. The suspect is a 35-year-old gold miner from Wismar Hill, Linden. Investigations have so far revealed that about 15:00hrs on Sunday, April 02, 2017, Cort had an altercation with a male suspect, who is also said to be a miner, over some missing raw gold, during which he was allegedly beaten by the suspect and subsequently died.

The body is presently at the Bartica Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem. Police said the body was found with multiple marks of violence.

When contacted, Commander of “F” Division, Ravindradat Budhram, confirmed the death, noting that ‘disorderly murders’ have always been a problem in the hinterland. According to the Commander, miners imbibe heavily and get into drunken brawls over women, among other things, which ultimately lead to death. The Commander related that the leading contributors are alcohol abuse, domestic violence and worksite disputes.

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is investigating how one of its smoke-grenades came to be in the possession of a 10-year-old, while at school on Monday.

The discovery was made during school hours at the Timehri Primary, on the East Bank, and the child’s uncle, an army sergeant, was on Monday night pulled in by the police for questioning.

According to reports, police were called in to the school around 13:30 hrs on Monday after a teacher saw the 10-year-old walking up the school’s stairs with the grenade in his hand.

It is alleged that when asked by the teacher what he had in his hand, the child replied that it was “a spark” he got from his seven-year-old cousin, who lives at Timehri.

The sergeant, who is stationed at Special Forces Base Camp Stephenson, reportedly told investigators that on March 10, he uplifted 50 smoke grenades with which to train ranks.

He is reported to have said that of the lot, only 46 grenades were used for the training, and that three of the remaining four were diffused. The other, he said, was inadvertently left in his travelling bag.

He said that upon returning home, his seven-year-old son must have taken the grenade out of the travelling bag and given it to his cousin, mistakenly thinking it was some sort of toy.

Police subsequently searched the sergeant’s home and found nothing else.

An elderly woman of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) has been left traumatised following an encounter with a knife-toting bandit who had broken into her home.

Speaking with this newspaper, Chan Ramsamooge said she awoke at about 23:45h on Sunday after hearing a loud noise in the bottom flat of her home. Upon inspection, she saw a man in her kitchen with a knife in his hands. Ordering her not to raise an alarm, the man said, “Don’t move, and don’t scream!”
Ramsamooge told Guyana Times that she managed to flee from the house and seek refuge at a neighbour’s house, from where the Police were contacted.
Public-spirited persons, upon learning of her predicament, went in search of the lone bandit and gave chase, but he made good his escape with the woman’s laptop among other valuables.
When the Police arrived on the scene, eyewitnesses told them that they knew who the bandit was, alleging that he resides at Bella Dam, West Bank Demerara and is a known drug user in that area. The man had reportedly gained access into the woman’s house through a window which he broke.
The Police are hunting for the suspect as investigations continue.

TWO men have been arrested in connection with the murder of 30-year-old Reginald Charles, who was stabbed during the wee hours of Wednesday at 111 Miles Mahdia, Region 8.

According to the police, the miner was walking in the vicinity of a night club at about 02:00hrs when he was engaged in a confrontation with the suspects, during which he was stabbed to his neck and chest with a broken bottle.
Charles managed to run to the Mahdia Hospital where he succumbed whilst receiving medical attention. Swift action by ranks resulted in the arrest of the duo, one of whom reportedly confessed to the crime; he is 24-years-old and hails from Surama Village, Lethem.
The body of Charles is at the Mahdia Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination. Meanwhile, on Monday police within the division also apprehended another suspect in connection with the death of a pork-knocker in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Region 7.
The dead man was identified as Phillip Cort, 53, of 32 Queen Street, Courtland Village, Corentyne,Berbice. His body was discovered Monday night after police received a call about a fight between two men close to Armu Landing in Cuyuni-Mazaruni. The suspect is a 35-year-old gold miner from Wismar Hill, Linden.
Commander of ‘F’ Division, Ravindradat Budhram, said that the police will be sending the file for legal advice to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). According to the Commander, within the last few weeks, police within the division were able to apprehend and solve multiple murders, largely due to cooperation from the public.

Police ranks in ‘D’ Division are making stringent efforts to apprehend a male suspect who allegedly strangled his reputed wife, in his Parika, East Bank Essequibo home, about 07:30hrs Wednesday.

According to the police, Dhanwantie Ram, 29, was found by a relative motionless, in a sitting position with a bed sheet tied around her neck. The suspect was seen fleeing his house towards the backdam.

The victim was rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival. Her body is presently at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Investigations have so far revealed that four days ago, Dhanwantie decided to end the abusive relationship she shared with the man for several years; she left his house with her three children and went to live at her residence at Parika Façade.

On Tuesday evening, 28-year-old suspect, a Labourer, went to the victim’s house and demanded that she return to his home to which she refused and he allegedly abused her and left.

At about 06:00hrs Wednesday, the victim was on her way to the Parika Police Station to lodge a report against the suspect, when he intercepted and took her to his home where he allegedly killed her.

-two in police custody

TWO men are in police custody after several church members were attacked and robbed Monday night on Regent Street, Georgetown by bandits on two CG motorcycles.

Police later confiscated two motorcycles – HC 4146 and CH 9013. Reports indicate that the robbery occurred at around 21:55hrs when approximately 20 persons were attending a farewell and were sitting on the northern pavement on Regent Street. The victims are all members of House of Prayers church located at Mocha, East Bank Demerara.

Police said the suspects arrived from the western direction and came off their motorcycles, pointed their guns at the victims and robbed them. Some persons resisted and the gunmen fired about six shots in the air and made good their escape south along Oronoque Street.

This newspaper understands that two of the bandits escaped on a motorcycle, while the other bandit escaped on foot and left his motorcycle, HC 4146 at the scene. One of the gunmen was identified and police later visited his residence on Durban Street, Georgetown but he was not found.

However, a motorcycle allegedly used in the robbery was seized. Police subsequently arrested two men and they were swabbed for gun powder residue as investigations continue.

The persons who were robbed included Lester Andrews, 38, a clothes vendor of North Ruimveldt; he was robbed of one Samsung phone value $160,000. Quincy Waldron, 33, a High Priest of William Street, Mocha, EBD  was robbed of one Blu cellular phone, valued $30,000; Daidree Liverpool, 57, a Bishop of Nelson St Mocha was robbed of two gold chains valued $300, 000 and Robin Firebrace, 56, of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was robbed of three gold chains value $185,000 and one Samsung cellular phone.

Police said no one was injured at the scene but they are reviewing CCTV cameras in the area.

Two employees attached to Automotive Arts on Croal Street, Georgetown were on Wednesday relieved of a bag containing close to $1 million in cash by two armed men. The incident occurred just after 13:00h.

The workers, according to reports, had just returned from a commercial bank and as they exited their motor car, a black car pulled up alongside them and stopped. As the black car came to a halt, one man who was carrying a hand gun exited and grabbed the bag that contained the money.

The gunman then reportedly discharged a round into the air and hurriedly entered the waiting motor car, which fled the scene. By this time, several persons from within the building rushed out and immediately summoned the Police.

An official of the paint company told media operatives that two workers went to the bank to collect “change money” and confirmed that it was less than $1 million. A Police source told Guyana Times that they were up to late Wednesday evening reviewing the surveillance footage captured by the business place.

He noted that the man who exited the getaway car was not wearing a mask and the Police would check their database to see if there was a match.

The manager of the company was happy no one was hurt during the robbery, but related that the two employees were traumatised.

The Police in A Division (Georgetown-East Bank) , acting on intelligence, stopped a motor car on Land of Canaan Public Road, East Bank Demerara about 12:25h on Thursday and conducted a search during which two illegal weapons (.44 Revolver and a 9mm Pistol) with 11 live matching rounds were found.

The occupants of the vehicle, a 41-year-old resident of Bel Air Park, Georgetown and a 22-year-old resident of North Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were taken into custody and were assisting with the investigation.