Police say there is no need to carry out any ballistics tests on the weapon that was found at an abandoned camp at Bucktown, Wismar, Linden, which was the likely hideout of the men who slaughtered 12 persons at Bartica.

This newspaper was informed by a police source that there were no incidents between the time the weapon was stolen and the time it was discovered and so there was no need for any tests to be run on it.

The source explained however that outside of this, all licensed firearms recovered by the force are added to ballistics exhibits and from time to time shells from scenes are examined against firearms.

On March 5, the Joint Services announced that they had located an abandoned camp at Bucktown, Wismar. A 12-gauge shotgun recovered in the camp had been confirmed as being one of those stolen from the home of Bartica miner, Chunilall Baboolall on February 17.

In addition, a Guyana passport and an NIS card in the name of Baboolall had been found along with a quantity of eating utensils, a searchlight, a green tarpaulin, a hacksaw blade and an empty plastic water container, among other articles, the release said.

Since that initial statement, the Joint Services have released no further information on their discovery or any pictures in relation to it.