Passenger called 911 to no avail – driver says
– passports, documents also stolen
One of the passengers on board the Lethem bound bus that was attacked by a gang of heavily armed bandits on Friday night, made several attempts to contact the police by dialling 911, to no avail.
It was only after a member of the Guyana Police Force was contacted through a relative of another passenger that a police mobile patrol arrived on the scene. This was about an hour after the incident took place.
This newspaper made several attempts yesterday to seek an explanation from the police about the inaccessibility of 911, since they have repeatedly said that it was in working order. However, these proved unsuccessful.
A Lethem-bound bus attached P&A Bus Service and driven by Dhanram Singh, was on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway around 8.30 pm when it was attacked by armed bandits in two cars.
The men robbed Singh and his nine passengers – five Brazilians, two Surinamese and two Guyanese – of a quantity of cash and jewellery before fleeing. During the course of the incident, Singh called `Bedi’ was grazed by a bullet in the back, while Brazilian Barbara Ferreira was shot in her wrist. She had run into the bushes as the incident unfolded and was not located until after 11 pm, when the army arrived to assist in the search.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, a relieved but still shaken Singh recalled that during the incident the gunmen “who were dressed in ordinary clothes”, were threatening to kill them. He said that the men numbering about eight were repeatedly saying that they knew that those in the bus were going back home and had gold and money. They were saying this as they tumbled the bags of the passengers, which were left in the bus.
Singh, who took up his present job in January, recalled that after he saw the suspicious car behind him, he continued driving but was forced to stop after the gunmen shot out the back tyres of the bus.
“When the bus stop, I just tell them (the passengers) to run. There was a few who got out first,” he said adding that when the gunmen descended on them they took a gold hand band and ring from him and tumbled up the bags.
In addition to taking the cash, they had, he said, the men made off with some of the passengers documents, which included passports.
Singh told Stabroek News that the ordeal shook him but he knew that they were being pursued by robbers and that is why he did not stop. He said the men’s motive was to rob and not kill and he was thankful that no one was seriously hurt during the incident.
The area where the drama unfolded is just past the highway’s police outpost near Camp Wesleyan. It was very dark as there is no electricity along the highway; an issue that residents have been complaining about for years.
The police
Singh recalled that when he passed the police outpost he did not see any police or vehicles or even a mobile unit, which was strange as there would usually be a roadblock set up there.
He said too that there was also no police patrol on the East Bank road that night.
The man recalled that after the gunmen had fled east (in the direction of the East Bank) a passenger made several failed attempts to contact 911. He stressed that they were getting signal on their cellular phones and he later made contact with someone. That was how police arrived on the scene.
Singh pointed out that had they gotten through to the emergency number, contact could have been made with the nearby police outpost and the gunmen could have been caught.
He pointed to the need for security along the highway to prevent a reoccurrence of Friday night’s incident. He opined that while one cannot expect the police to patrol the entire highway, a roadblock could be set up at the junction, where vehicles going onto the highway and those heading to the airport could be stopped and searched.
The man had told Stabroek News on Friday night at the Diamond Diagnostic centre where he had been taken for treatment that he had observed a car following him and became suspicious especially after its driver began flashing his lights.
Even as he increased his speed, the car followed and when it was apparent that Singh was not going to stop, the bandits shot out the back tyres of the bus.
He had said that after his vehicle was halted, the passengers were taken out and made to lie in the bushes. One group of heavily armed gunmen ransacked their luggage and also guarded them while another group patrolled the area. Singh said the bandits had handguns and shotguns.
This is a very bad situation to be caught up in; Too many situations like this is happening, are citizens supposed to do all they have to do before the sun goes down?????????why must people have to live in fear in their own country.
Here we go again. These predators need to be hunted down and dealt with forthwith. The fact that they are getting away with it emboldens them.
Imagine – the Linden highway is no longer safe. There should be cameras at all the entrances recording all vehicles that enter and leave the highway along with cameras along the way. Truth be told there are computer programs that can link to satellites and be used to monitor any areas.
When I’m in NY I can ’see’ home in GT and vice versa using one of those programs. Law enforcement in Guyana can do the same!
The police commissioner needs to explain to the people why the 911 system when called is not answered, with all of the money put into that system recently should be up to par, or unless they choose not to answer the phone some one need to be held accountable. Also street lights needs to be placed on the highway for years it’s been that way, if you have a flat while driving at night on the highway you’re in trouble, unless you have a flashlight, it’s time the govt do something about the highway lighting implementation.
WOW no response from 911!?!?!?! I don’t believe this, I always thought our emergency response was in perfect working order. The development bolstered by our current govt., the investments in our GPF & crime fighting, among other things. I doubt the passenger dialled 911. Maybe in the panic she dialled 922 or 811, recheck the dialled numbers.
Our Foolice force always responds promptly & shows up on time. We have invested in vehicles, motor cycles & helicopters, no way they would’ve been called & this robbery allowed to be a success. Somebody’s not telling the truth.
Here again there are more questions than answers that seem to put our police fore in a questionable position. How is it in this day and age of improved technology and the need for continued vigilance 911 could not be working? How is it that there was not the normal roadblock at the police outpost that night? Why was there no police patrol on the East Bank road that night? Are these mere coincidences? COP, these are some questions that need serious answers.
By the way, Fine man and Skinny are no more. So who are the culprits?
Fineman and Skinny were cloned.
With Christmas around the corner, those nasty minded/blighted criminals, would be more rampant looking for ill-gained quick money.
In their venture I wish that most would have their lives snuffed out by bullets…
guyanese love to abuse or misuse phones in government offices.i want to be the president of GUYANA and all the lawlessness would stop.it is not that the phones are not working but they are constantly engaged.the bucks stop at the top and the president must act or he would be blamed.i do not care they call jagdeo a micro manager once he delivers the goods.
get real bro
Parrot, what is wrong with your Foolice Force ? They need raod lights every where in Guyana at the rate the crime is going. Thank God nobody died or was seriously hurt. What a brave drive to tell his passengers to run and he was going to stay there all alone, he is a hero and God is not ready for you Bedi. You are also very observant to realize that the car was following you and you did all that you could have done to save yourself and passengers. I guess if they did not have any guns they would not have ever caught up with you because all you had to do was step on that gas and keep sailing until you got to the nearest Foolice Station.
It is a SHAME AND DISGRACE President Jagdeo to see how my fellow citizens are living in fear every day and night, you are an INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT
Why are the emergency number always Busyyyyyyy Busyyyyyyyyyy please tell me the honest truth and nothing but the truth so help you God.
Foreigners need to come home and visit, but we are afraid to do so and the country is loosing a lot of money coming into the ecomony. Office Doji hope I spell the name correctly, is he still in the force he was a great policeman and I take my hat off to him, he investigated an armed robbery we had in our home and was very polite and concerned.
get real you’re not a foreigner, you’re an overseased based guyanese, even if your are a naturalized if you got to guyana u would still be a guyanese.
I’ve a solution to test to make sure the 911 system is indeed working or not working. The commissioner of Police should gather all his Division Heads around the country and conduct an impromptu exercise by calling 911 from their homes late at night and record the results and if they match what the citizens are saying, he should then start cleaning house. This is unacceptable. Period.
Here we go again with these predators beast,just looking out for hard working people and rob them, wonder why when u catch them lick like peas,coz we have a fail 911 system,i personally believe when these people are caught they should spend the rest of their lives in jail, and let them work with chains on their feet in the canefields, only then i think change will come.