The two suspects who were being questioned by police for the attempted murder of Commissioner of Insurance Maria van Beek were not identified as being part of the crime when an identification parade was conducted yesterday.

Crime Chief Seelall told Stabroek News that one of the men was subsequently released on station bail, since he had been in police custody for 72 hours. The second suspect, however, remains in custody for further questioning. He said too that so far there have been no new leads on the whereabouts of the motor cycle that the perpetrators escaped on following the shooting.

Maria van Beek

van Beek, the judicial manager of the ailing insurance company CLICO, was on her way to work when the shooting occurred last Thursday.

According to reports, she was stuck in a long line of traffic at the junction of Lombard and Leopold streets during a heavy downpour when a gunman walked up to her vehicle and fired a single shot through the driver’s side window. He jumped on a waiting motor cycle parked on Leopold Street and fled.

van Beek was taken to hospital and underwent a successful surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in her chest.

Following the report of the shooting, police said response was immediate and several patrols were dispatched in the city, while road blocks were set up at the Demerara Harbour Bridge and on the lower East Coast in a bid to apprehend the perpetrators.

While no clear motive was revealed for the shooting, police said that they were treating it as an attempted murder since there was no evidence to suggest that the gunman went to rob her.

Observers have said that the shooting may be linked to her work as it occurred just two days after she presented her findings on CLICO’s financial standings to the High Court.

In the light of the incident, security has been beefed up to ensure the safety of van Beek her relatives and the employees of the insurance company.