Terror gang taxi driver was planning major attack on family wedding

July 19, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under News, Source

Had they not been captured, the gang that has been linked to the killing of businessman Ganesh Ramlall and the attack of Land Court Judge Nicola Pierre, would have certainly created more terror.

Word is out that the gang was planning to carry out a major heist this month end at a wedding on the West Coast Demerara, where several overseas guests were expected to attend.

Kaieteur News understands that the heist was being organized by Fazeel Bacchus called Javed, one of the taxi drivers rounded up by police during a sweep last week, which led to the death of gang leader Rolston Morrison and the arrest of several of his accomplices.

Bacchus was setting up his accomplices to rob his own relatives since the wedding involved a member of his family.

This came out during interrogation of both him and fellow taxi driver Lennox Roberts as they continue to implicate each other in what investigators are now finding out was an elaborate scheme of well organized robberies primarily along the West Coast of Demerara.

According to a source, who was a part of the interrogating team, following the killing of Regent Multiplex boss Ganesh Ramlall, some gang members who were no part of that operation, expressed disappointment that they were not involved in the action.

But Bacchus reportedly told them not to worry, that he had bigger plans for them.

He told them of a family wedding that was coming up this month-end where a number of overseas guests were scheduled to attend.

“Tell dem that he got some uncles who coming fuh de wedding. One ah dem rich, rich. He tell dem dey gon deh good,” the source said.

But of course the plan fell apart following last week’s police operations. Bacchus is no stranger to organising robberies.

Investigators are expected to charge him in connection with Ganesh Ramall’s murder, since statements obtained so far point directly to his role as the main organiser.

Both he and Roberts confessed that the attack on Regent Multiplex owner, Ganesh Ramlall, called Boyo, was hatched two months ago.

While they have not provided investigators with the names of the bandits they transported, they gave some details of the plan to attack Ramlall.

“After they came up with the plan, they had to get people to execute it. So they contacted Saddam (Rolston Morrison) who was killed on Tuesday and his crew,” a police source told this newspaper.

The plan was not to kill but to rob, and if they did not get enough money from Ramlall, they were to kidnap him and demand a hefty ransom.

“They were to tie him up in the house and relieve him of everything,” the source said.

Bacchus, 21, had confessed to transporting the gunmen who killed Ramlall.
He said that he was aided by another taxi driver, who he identified as Roberts, called ‘Soldier Man.’

Bacchus said that on the night of the attack on Ramlall, he was at a city night club, but was in constant telephone contact with ‘Soldier Man’, who was at the bar-b-que at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, monitoring the movements of Ramlall, who was also at the event.

He said that ‘Soldier Man’ kept him informed via telephone about Ramlall’s movements.

Bacchus said that he was instructed to pick up some men, one from “Buddys” and the two others at Agricola.

He took the men to La Jalousie and dropped them off near Ramlall’s home.
He then went to Cornelia Ida where he picked up ‘Soldier Man’ and left the bar-b-que where the businessman continued drinking.

They then headed back to La Jalousie where their accomplices were waiting.

The bandits concealed themselves in a bushy empty lot next to Ramlall’s home, while they waited for him to arrive.

One resident claimed that he saw four men making their way towards Ramlall’s house with the aid of a flashlight, but did not take it for anything serious.

Ramlall eventually arrived, left his vehicle outside, entered the bottom flat, spoke to his wife and then went back outside to use an outdoor washroom. When he came outside, the men attacked him, and riddled him with bullets when he raised an alarm and fought back. They then fled with some of his jewellery.

The taxi driver said he heard the gunshots and the bandits breathlessly jumped into his car and ordered him to drive.

He said he drove along the rough La Jalousie ‘line top’ and emerged at Crane Public Road. He then headed back over the Demerara Harbour Bridge, where he dropped off the killers, two in Agricola and another at Diamond before returning with ‘Soldier Man’ to the West Coast Demerara bar-b-que venue.

Bacchus said he dropped off ‘Soldier Man’ and he went home.

The two were arrested on Tuesday last, a day after police smashed the gang that was behind a recent spate of killings and violent robberies and immediately they began implicating each other.

“They were rowing about who set it up,” a police source said.

According to the source, Roberts told detectives that it was Bacchus who brought up the subject about attacking Ramlall with a view to robbing him.

Roberts reportedly claimed that he had initially objected to the plan, since he knew Ramlall well.

“He said, ‘No, nah he, he is a good man… de man (Ramlall) does bless up everybody when he come around’,” the source said.

Nevertheless, the plan went through and according to detectives, Roberts eventually went along with it, playing the role of lookout at the bar-b-que that Ramlall had attended hours before he went home to his death.

On Tuesday last, the Guyana Police Force SWAT team-led an operation on an apartment building at Craig that left ringleader Rolston Morrison dead, and another suspect and a police rank wounded.

Police had issued a wanted bulletin for the 29-year-old in connection with the murder of Dwayne Kennedy, who was gunned down at the Golden Grove Market on March 14, 2015.

Morrison’s last known addresses were given as Nabaclis, East Cost Demerara; Agricola, Georgetown; and Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Another suspect, identified as Warren Mackenzie, 22, of Brutus Street, Agricola, was shot in the stomach. He was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Mackenzie was previously charged for armed robbery when he was 19. A constable from the SWAT unit was shot in the thigh. His condition is stable.

A 9mm. Glock pistol with two magazines and 25 matching rounds along with two wrist watches that are suspected to have been stolen have been recovered by the police,.  A number of 9mm. spent shells were recovered at the scene.

One of the men in custody later confessed that he was a part of the gang that invaded the home of Nicola Pierre last week.

The confession came as gang members continue to snitch on one another.
Police sources said that one of the detainees known as ‘Hulk’, put himself and at least two others at the scene of the attack on Commissioner of Title Nicola Pierre, and her husband, Mohamed Chand.

Kaieteur News was told that ‘Hulk’ claimed that Rolston Morrison, called ‘Mappy’ or ‘Sadam’, and Warren Mackenzie, of Brutus Street, Agricola, were with him when Mrs. Pierre and Mr. Mohamed were battered and robbed. At least six men reportedly participated in that robbery.

Hulk reportedly told investigators that he and Mackenzie were lookouts, while Morrison and others went into Pierre’s house.

Ballistics tests reportedly showed that the Glock 9mm pistol was used to kill Ramlall, and in the attack on Pierre and her husband.