Parika man approaches Benschop with execution contract
MAY 11, 2013 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS
By Abena Rockcliffe
Social Activist Mark Benschop was yesterday approached by a Parika businessman who purported to be so peeved that he wanted three men murdered. He thought that Benschop was the “best man” to arrange the hit.
A video tape, seen by Kaieteur News, recorded the man who identified himself as Lochan, or blind man, giving details of how he wants the hit executed.
The man was sporting a dark shades and claimed to be blind. He was accompanied by a woman he said was his wife.
He and his wife found their way down to Benschop’s office (yesterday) morning, claiming that they received directions to the office from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s head office.
The man used up his initial time with Benschop bashing the government and Benschop listened but when the man moved on to his criminal intent Benschop said that “it was then time to pull the plug.”
Lochan told Benschop that he wanted three people dead; two businessmen and a “big one” from the Region Two Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). He said that he wanted the NDC man left for last.
He said that his grievance with the men stemmed from a dispute over land and $1M that they owed.
Benschop said, “I asked him, so man why you come to me? I am just a protestor. If you have a problem I can come protest for you but this is some serious things you talking about.”
His response to Benschop, as seen on the video, was that he thought it best to solicit help of this nature from Benschop who knows lots of people, “so me want you to recruit two men fuh meh.”
Lochan, who is now in police custody, said that the men he wanted dead tried to poison him before, so he wanted to kill them before they killed him. However the man was very specific about the ethnicity of the people he wanted for the job.
Benschop then told Lochan that he has to get on to “my boys”. He asked Lochan to leave the office and to return in 15 minutes.
During that time, the social activist who spent five years in jail for treason, contacted both the Brickdam and Alberttown Police Stations asking for plainclothes ranks to meet him at his office as he explained the situation.
A little after the man returned, three plainclothes ranks joined the meeting pretending to be Benschop’s “boys.”
In the presence of the cops, Benschop asked Lochan just what he wanted these men to do; “You want my boys to just scare these men or you want them killed?”
The man responded, “I want dem kill out and done or I want them bun to death.”
Lochan initially stated that he would have paid the men $200,000, $100,000 each, but after being told that three men would have been placed on the job he said that he would have tried to source another $100,000; even as he added that he has to borrow the money.
He identified the two businessmen as Kumar and Ricky and said that he wanted to keep the NDC man whom he named for last.
Asked how soon he wanted the act to be done, the man, without hesitation, responded, “Next week.”
Also asked who would squeal on the operation, Lochan said “as God above me, me promise me nah sell out.”
Asked if he felt that he was being set up, Benschop told Kaieteur News, “If it’s a set up or not, I find it absolutely disrespectful that a total stranger would walk off the road to come and have me mixed up in criminality.”
Benschop was asked if he fears that the man will now want him killed. “Men who are 10 times more powerful than him send threats to me and I wasn’t afraid then and I am not afraid now. I am not concerned about if he would want me killed or not. I spent five years in solitary confinement but I haven’t lost my sanity or dignity.”
Lochan and his wife have since been arrested.
Lochan and his wife in the background.
