A 34-year-old man charged with murdering a scrap metal dealer and a rice farmer was remanded to prison when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Akbar Alli

Andrew Morris of Lot 263 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown was not required to plead to the two capital charges of murder when they were read to him by Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

It is alleged that on July 24, 2008 at Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown Morris murdered Akbar Alli. Further, it is alleged that on May 25 last year at Water Street, Georgetown he murdered Ramrattan Singh.

The magistrate refused the accused bail and the matters will come before the court again on September 16 for report.

At about 1 pm on July 24, scrap metal dealer Alli, 35, of Logwood, Enmore was shot and killed by bandits, a police press release had said.

The police had said that their investigations revealed that Alli and his wife went to a city bank where they transacted some business. Then they went to another city bank and later proceeded to Brickdam with the intention of transacting business with an auto dealer.

Alli, the release said, parked his motor vehicle and he and his wife, who had a bag containing $2.1 million, stepped out of the vehicle. As they exited the vehicle two men rode up on a motorcycle and the pillion rider, who was armed with a handgun, held them up and took away the bag and rode away, the release had stated.

Ramrattan Singh

Reports were that Alli began running behind the motorcycle and the armed man then shot him in his chest.

Alli died shortly after of the gunshot wound he sustained and was laid to rest on July 27.

In a similar incident last May, businessman Singh, 49, of Hyde Park, Mahaicony was fatally shot during a dramatic robbery on Water Street.

Police in a press statement had said that about 12.30 pm that day Singh, a rice farmer, was robbed and shot by two men. On the day of the incident Singh was in  motorcar HB1605 owned and operated by his brother, Prakash Singh.

As the men were exiting the vehicle with a bag containing $500,000, the statement had said, two suspects rode up on a motorcycle and the pillion rider attempted to snatch the bag. A struggle ensued during which Singh was shot in his left thigh and relieved of the money.

Singh was immediately taken to a city hospital where he succumbed to his wound.