-part of weapon found
Members of the Joint Services scouring the Upper Berbice jungle for Rondell `Fineman’ Rawlins and several other gunmen yesterday stumbled on part of a firearm abandoned by the gang, but there has been no further sighting of the men and the key concern is whether they could break out of the cordon.
A senior police officer last evening confirmed that the weapon part was discovered in the Christmas Falls, Upper Berbice River area, during an intensive search for the gunmen who security forces believe are still trapped in the bushes.
Since Saturday the Joint Services had been maintaining that they had covered a large area where the gunmen are currently ensconced, closing off all exit routes, and have deployed helicopters to conduct surveillance.
How-ever, so far there has been no success and observers believe that the gunmen might have skipped the security forces’ cordon. Contacted for an update on the operations yesterday, the senior officer said that there had been no new development, but he insisted that the gunmen – around six of them including Rawlins – were still trapped in the jungle.
Stabroek News was told that the gunmen had managed to escape on Friday with only two of their weapons and some of them were in their undergarments. The security official said that in such a state, with at least one or two of them hurt from gunshots it would be difficult for the gunmen to get away. “If we don’t get them the wildlife” will get them, the officer declared.
Rawlins and his men have demonstrated their ability to survive in the jungle. They had come close to being captured many times, but managed on every occasion to skip the police cordon and escape. Meanwhile, with regards Rawlins’ diary which was left abandoned during the raid on the Christmas Falls base, Stabroek News was told that investigators have begun examining its contents and efforts are being made to verify the users of some of the telephone numbers that showed up in the diary. Security experts here say that the diary could be a vital tool and might be able to put investigators in touch with persons with whom Rawlins communicated.
Responding to intelligence reports that Rawlins and his troops were hiding out at Christmas Falls some 300 miles up the Berbice River, members of the Joint Services descended on the forested area on Friday. Once there they came under fire from around seven men, one of whom – Otis ‘Mud-Up’ Fifee was shot and killed.
The other six men, including Rawlins however managed to escape leaving behind a cache of arms and ammunition, some of which has been confirmed by police as having been stolen from the Bartica Police station the night that community came under siege by gunmen. Weapons belonging to Bartica miner Chunilall Baboolall whose business place was attacked and robbed during that incident were also recovered.
A top Joint Services official told this newspaper on Sunday that they were certain that `Fineman’ and several of his senior lieutenants were among those who escaped.
In addition to recovering the weapons, the lawmen unearthed Rawlins’ diary, which they said provided evidence of the fugitive’s planning and executing of the slaughters at Lusignan and Bartica, taking vengeance for the death of his sister and a number of telephone numbers. The security forces had also discovered that the men were housed in a location with four buildings. They had foodstuff to last several weeks in a large kitchen, which also had a gas stove, generator and solar energy. In addition, there were six portable tents, four hammocks, three mattresses, a mini-stereo system, a DVD player, a cell phone, a hand-held radio set, items of clothing, medical supplies and a Bible, which were all abandoned as the gang fled.
Isn’t it amazing the security forces were able to “identify” Fineman and his lieutenants running from the scene of the shootout but they were unabale to identify the man they shot?
This story has nuff melody.
hahaha……Thanks for the laugh. Very interesting questions Nuff….
Nuff that is the funniest thing and one that I havent looked into. The had his photograph also for him since he was wanted. Don’t the police fingerprint these guys so they can quickly get their names etc if they have a criminal’s information detail.
I want these guys caught so bad but its amazing how the events take shape
Guy2008, They cannot carry dogs into the dense jungle…too many wild animals…
Them helicopters nah run out of fuel yet.
Maybe I give these guys too much credit but I am sure the army and police will not sure in the dark of night and that would be the opportunity for the guys to pretty much go back the way they came instead of going deeper into the jungle. Just a thought…which police would be expecting them to come back when they think they chasing them.
Also didn’t they say they had then insight and were close to them…how is it possible for these guys to then disappear? Like the police fraid to go into the jungle behind them.
The whole diary thing will not be able to hold up in court for any of the numbers etc so guys don’t waste your time asking for them to contact these people.
Since Mackydog said that forgery is common then we shouldn’t expect to use any of the diary as evidence as it can be cooked with names and numbers and information.
I am convinced that “Mud up” was shot at point blank range. according to reports they said that they saw him and another bandit running through a trail and they shot at them and “Mud up” was killed. It is highly unlikely but not impossible for them to shoot him in the face and they would have been able to get his gun and ammunition (they reported that they did not recover his weapon although it stated that he was armed at the time of his sighting)
Too mush inconclusive details.
This is my take on what happened.
…Joint Forces got tipped off as to their location and plans an ambush on the gang. During the attempt at ambush they encounter 2 lookouts…mud up and another man, the lookouts shoot and raise the alarm and the Joint Forces return fire. Mud Up is shot in the torso area and falls wounded….Joint Forces press forward and shoots Mud Up in the face to ensure he is dead….ventures into the camp to find that the others have just eluded them…finds blood for more than likely the other lookout gang member who may have been hit. Continue chase but afraid of the Jungle and decide to use Helicopter and boats…too late to be on the direct track of the gunmen.
“One other striking piece of information that the Joint Forces press release stated was that the gunmen may only have 2 weapons”
Think about it…if they were in a shoot out with the entire gang as they claim wouldn’t the gunmen keep the weapons that they were holding? It only makes sense.
anybody has any otherr theories
I am confident that once the criminals remain in Guyana’s jungle, they will be caught and killed……….. and that will be the end of the police problems, or so
they will think!
Right now the police have ‘a jungle problem’, a large undefined area
not in their books.
Now watch me…just watch me….. not one will be caught alive.
Any bets on this?
The police have a bad bad reputation of not taking alive tough bandits.
Like no one can instill in their heads that it is better to capture the bandits
alive and then try to get tons of information out of them.
So elementary Watson !
Everybody watching?
Not one will be caught alive.
I say so.
Poor police work will never defeat the criminal activities. So, I am hoping they do catch them alive.
Nuff…
This is making me laff. The GPF needs to be very careful of the things they say, because i don’t know who told them that Guyanese stupid.
All these cynics here have probably had mximum inordinate immersion in narratives not to mention a benevolent dose of syllogisms, so as to harp on the concoction theory.
When for once would you naysayers be objective enough to moderately applaud a criminal obliteration exercise, however flawed?
Are you, despite being ensconced in Uncle Sam and elsewhere seeing fool proof methods of law enforcement, or indelible social and political systems?
My political affiliation is zilch but I implore some degree of objective reasoning and not this overindulgence in sardonicism.
Just the most paralogistic, dastardly mentality- crabs in a barrel.
Be critical, but be shrewd to embrace some conscionable equitableness. Demonstrate you have achieved more than just some metropolitan currency and a house.
who are you talking to here , i am missing your point
I thought that Prophet Wills died many moons ago.
Seems that he is reincarnated!
No wonder that the name poor people fed up was chosen.
The name says it all!
Amen.
I hesitate to get embroiled in what has become a forum for scathing attack on each other. Was this the intention of allowing comments?
It just shows why Guyana / Guyanese can never be unified. We are too busy climbing on each other’s head to come out ahead – no pun intended.
popeoplefedup, modern day writing skills courses urge the use of simple language. Your sarcasm couched in “big words” are but a screen for your innate ignorance.
Popeoplefedup keep it simple. Not all of us went to the same school and received the identical education like yourself.
Phew!!!
You sure you’re not Roger Luncheon twin???
they made that point because of the diary, we will get the details when and whenever
they capture fine man.
Nuff………I think their theory was that they held a member of the gang who served as an “informer” and led them to the hideout and also told them who were there.
Rondell !!! Face it Guyana doesn’t have proper law enforcement, more like sweet-skinned soldiers, afraid hence never doing the job right. With guys like these what else can one expect.
Who Is willing to put their life on the line for the salary they are being paid? Can we trust the People who are giving the orders they have gotten rid of many men who were capable of putting a stop to the madness before it reach this far……BECAUSE THEY WERE IN THE WAY .
Bring Rawlins out alive & many big fishes will be brought down to their knees. We will know who finance them, etc.
look this thing is a smoke screen, the government stealing from us while thry tell us about fineman, at hre end of the day they will give up the government when they have enough money to open businesses amoung themselves then hand the government over to the pnc or some other party.
they created this smoke screen for a reason so when we write our comments like this they might be laughing behind close doors cant they are creating confusion for us to feed on
Some hope I daresay.
Even in T & T, that is not possible.
on what basis are we to believe the Joint Service saw and/or made contact with Fineman at this location?
do we need a list of false statements these paragons of virtue have made in the past?
not so fast people
The average person with boy scout training could survive in that jungle for months! It won’t be easy…but I doubt men with guns would allow themselves to starve to death in the jungle.
I apologize to my fellow Guyanese if my diction is too abstruse. I honestly concluded my people, being so erudite and capable of dissecting and deriving truths, would at least comprehend my natural expression.
None of that is intentional, just a natural offshoot of my language orientation. I apologize to Queen who fallaciously concludes that my vocabulary is a facade for innate ignorance. Philosophically, we are all ignorant, so I shall oblige her that response (I apologize in advance for using that pronoun in the event Queen is male).
I hope Queen’s belligerence is not precipitated by any feeling of intellectual inadequacy because I honestly support equality.
Nonetheless, from Queen;s very missives, we see she accedes to the crabs in a barrel disposition which I originally highlighted.
From all my years of linguistic studies, I am afraid I cannot validate dear Queen’s statement about modern day writing mandating simple use of language. So many arguments against such a conclusion:
“simple” is relative
expression requires clarity which my work does not necessarily lack except in the absence of basic educational attainment and a penchant for self improvement
Finally, Queen, as another blogger highlighted, no one is necessarily fighting here. Had you been adequately schooled in debate, you would understand that issues are meant to be discoursed and that a debate is synonymous with a war.
Much deference to my Guyanese counterparts. Lest my arguments incense anyone, please understand that I purport arguments to elicit responses. I am simply apolitical.
Peace.
Oh cut the crap!!!!
lolololol…..this was off the hook popeoplefedup. me ah love dis respons bai, ya bai ah die with laffta. However, i see your ears grew a little bit longer. I guess you want to out do that animal.
popeoplefedup, my belligerance is precipitated only by the complete waste of time for today’s busy reader who is expected to weed through your “linguistic” swill in able to discern what you’re truly trying to convey. Congratulations on your intellectual adequacy. We couldn’t miss it!
Unfortunately and perhaps egoistically, I fell victim to your comments that encourage me to defend myself.
Without revealing too much about my own educational achievements / accomplishments and present employment (I was taught that cream rises to the top without advertising its presence), I assure you I have an above average education in English (and other languages) and am involved on a daily basis in debating and issue resolution. I am recognised for these skills by both my employer and “clients” and yet pride myself on writing a simple sentence that effectively communicates my point without the reader getting bored and / or looking for a dictionary.
As I mentioned, today’s writing skills are geared to the technological world we live in. Who has the time to scoll through pages of words (on a laptop or blackberry) that have yet to make their point? The linguistic master MAY be more tolerable on an orator’s platform.
Now look what else you’ve done!
Mek me waste de good people dem time reading dis heh nonsense dat have nuffin to do with dis hey article!!!!!!
Sorry folks!
Oh great master, you have not offended my sensibilities. Forgive me for I’m surely at a loss for cogent thoughts and words in the shadow of your intellectual radiance.
How dare I think that I could / should dare to pit my underdeveloped peanut sized brain against yours. You do after all take every opportunity to remind everyone of your intellectual superiority for those of us even more stupid to not recognise it without the fanfare.
I humbly withdraw from this exchange. Excuse me while I go lick my wounds in abject shame and punish myself appropriately for not recognising your superior wit and intellect. It will not happen again, I promise.
Permit me however to observe that you are wasting your talents in little Bermuda. The US of A is surely where one with a superior intellect like yours could own the world!!!!!
BTW I must explain that my moniker, Queen was chosen simply because it is the translation of the name inherited from my forefathers. And, although my flag indicates I’m in the US, I’m not. MY ISP provider is a US company.