-police accused of stealing recovered cash
By Zoisa Fraser and Gaulbert Sutherland
Dweive Kant Ramdass
A 24-year-old gold dealer who was taken off a Bartica-bound boat on Thursday and robbed of $17M by three coast guards before being dumped was still missing last night and feared murdered in a scandal that yesterday also ensnared the police.
Dweive Kant Ramdass remained missing up to press time even though the three Guyana Defence Force (GDF) coast guards were taken to the area where it was said that they murdered and dumped him. The bulk of the money has since been recovered, but two police ranks are now being fingered in stashing $4M of the cash.
Numerous police sources yesterday informed Stabroek News that the Coast Guard ranks implicated in the crime admitted during interrogation that they strangled Ramdass before dumping his body in the Essequibo River in the vicinity of Caiman Hole. The soldiers were taken to the alleged dumping ground by police yesterday and despite efforts searchers came up empty handed.
Police in a release last evening described the incident as a robbery/abduction, though several persons had reported to this newspaper that the man went willingly into the coast guard vessel with a box containing the money. Sources say it appeared as if protection money might have been paid in the past for the escort of persons with large sums of money to Bartica. This may explain how the coast guard men might have known that Ramdass was travelling with a lot of cash.
According to the release, the police are investigating a report whereby Ramdass of 93 Third Avenue Bartica was allegedly abducted by “three men in uniform similarly worn by those of the Coast Guard” and taken away in a boat between 3 and 3:30 pm in the Essequibo River.
The three Guyana Defence Force Coast Guards sitting (centre) in the police boat yesterday before leaving for Caiman Hole in the Essequibo River where they reportedly dumped Dweive Kant Ramdass.
Ramdass, the police said, has not been seen since and it is alleged he had $17M in his possession to transact business for his employer.
Police, the release said, had since arrested seven persons and recovered $12.7M of which $4.3M is unaccounted for.
Additionally, it said two policemen are in custody pending investigations into the amount of money outstanding.
For its part, the army issued a statement yesterday in which Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best admitted the guilt of his ranks, who are stationed at Fort Island, saying that he condemned their actions in the strongest possible terms.
“Their action in no way represents the ethos and character of the GDF. It is reprehensible and will be met with the full force of the law”, Best, the former head of the Coast Guard, said in the statement.
An inquiry is to be launched into the circumstances of the dastardly act and it is clear from
Barefoot and in shackles (foreground and centre), two of the Coast Guard suspects in the disappearance of Dweive Kant Ramdass being escorted by a police rank to the boat at Parika Beach yesterday prior to leaving for where they had reportedly dumped him.
their initial reports, Best said, that there was “a breakdown in the command and leadership of the structure at this unit for which strong administrative action will be taken”.
Despite these developments he assured citizens, the fishing community, small boats and other vessel operators that the force subscribes to the highest professional standards and will continue to discharge its mandate.
The Chief of Staff expressed regret to Ramdass’ relatives over the incident.
The statement added that the Coast Guard will help in the search for Ramdass until he was found but a relative of the man told this newspaper last evening, that the army played no known part in the mission yesterday.
Police Commissioner Henry Greene also condemned the attack, saying that the involvement of the soldiers is of great concern to the security forces.
Speaking to the media yesterday at the Police Force’s annual presentation of bursaries and awards, Greene said that they were alerted that Ramdass had vanished while transporting a large amount of money.
According to him, diligent inquiries led investigators to three suspects, who are members of the GDF and three of their relatives, who had large sums of money in their possession.
Stabroek News understands that a woman is among the relatives arrested. Two of the Coast Guard ranks are privates while the other is a corporal.
When he spoke to the media around 1:45 pm, Greene said that they were hoping for the best in recovering Ramdass but the reports they have received so far suggest that “this young man may have been dumped into the river having been assaulted”.
Greene stated that the police did not have any information as to whether he was dumped alive.
Ramdass’s sister, Nirvana Burnette told Stabroek News that her brother had been heading to Bartica at around 3:30 pm that day. She stated that he was supposed to travel on one of the regular passenger boats and had been waiting for it to be filled.
She related that while waiting, he was accosted by the Coast Guard ranks and they called him aside and requested that he open the box which contained the money. According to her, he opened the bag slightly and they told him to close it back, after reportedly seeing what was inside. She said that they then “ordered” him to get into their boat. “They took him away”, she said.
Burnette related that there was usually a bodyguard with Ramdass but he was not around at the time. She said that her brother, while standing at the beach, had been speaking with a girl that he knew but she had shortly before moved off.
Efforts later to contact Ramdass on his cellular phone were futile as it was turned off, she said. When he had not turned up at Bartica, an alarm was raised and the man’s employer as well as his brother, who resides in the city, journeyed to Parika. Contact was made with a coast guard official at Parika and several boat captains recalled seeing Ramdass in the boat being taken away.
The official attempted to get into contact with the ranks and after several tries it was answered but the only thing that was heard was a voice asking why the person had answered the phone.
When the coast guard ranks returned to Parika, they reportedly said that Ramdass had paid them $12,000 to drop him off at Bonasika, a few miles from Parika. But he had never gone there before, Burnette said. Police arrested the men and some of the money was recovered from a sister of one of the ranks who had turned up hurriedly. She was also arrested.
Ramdass, according to Burnette, had been working with the company for about six months. When a senior company official was contacted last evening, he said that he could not say anything at the time.
From Thursday night until the early hours of yesterday, relatives undertook a search operation. The search continued yesterday but up to press time Ramdass had not been found.
Burnette said that the search party utilized hooks at the place and paid a diver to search the area but pointed out that they did not find anything. She said that they had accepted that Ramdass was dead. “We think so…all we want to do is find our brother and find some closure”, she stated last night. “We combed the entire area”, she added.
The woman asserted that it was only the family and the man’s employer who were engaged in the search and the woman expressed disapproval that no assistance was forthcoming from the GDF. The police were not part of the search either, she noted, adding that they plan to pay a visit to the Commissioner.
Police implicated
Yesterday Greene revealed to the media that two of his ranks have been held after it was suspected that they stole some of the recovered money.
According to him, two of the men’s relatives were arrested with over $5M each while the third had over $6M in his bag. He put the figure of stolen money at around $17.5M.
Commissioner Greene explained that the man with the $6M claimed that he was given the bag with money but did not count it. However Greene pointed out that based on what they know his bag had to contain more that $6M.
But when it was handed over by the ranks there was just over $1M inside.
“So it is logical to conclude that the policeman has to explain what happen with this money between himself and the man. The man is saying that I had the money and the policeman took the bag with the money”, he stated.
He added that as a result of this development the duo was arrested pending further inquiries into the disappearance of more than $4M.
Police sources told this newspaper that the coast guard men had signed confession statements and yesterday afternoon, they led investigators to Caiman Hole, just off Fort Island, where they said, Ramdass was dumped. The three young ranks, wore shackles on their feet and after being heckled by bystanders, one responded that he was a “bad man”.
Asked about speculation that this incident may have been linked to another in the same area less than two weeks ago, where two men were found dead in a shattered boat and a 10-year-old boy missing, Greene said that they don’t have such evidence but since it has been brought to his attention, investigators will look into it.
Murderous elements in official military fatigues???
This is cold blooded murder and just for a few millions of dollars…
With the supposed ‘high’ integrity and professionalism in the GDF this is the last thing you expect from soldiers…robbing the the very people they are supposed to protect…..
Makes you wonder about the speed boat ‘accident’ a few weeks ago and even the Lindo creek murders, because money would make some people do anything!
This is the military that Jagdeo and the PPP have been responsible for the past 17 years. This is what they have done so far to clean up the mess.
Seriously is there anything this government does that is good?
The army should be disbanded. Seriously they have a serious issue with criminal elements pervading the armed forces and the police.
What has Jagdeo and the PPP done to eliminate these people? they knew this was an issue since before they were elected so what gives folks what gives?
There’s not much I can say about this issue that I haven’t already said in the past. I do have some points though…
- There is no proper training procedure for new army or police recruits.
-There is no police academy or army boot camp where new recruits are taught the meaning of ethics, responsibility or duty to country.
-Change has to come from the top.
-Children will learn from their parents. If the armed forces see their bosses being corrupt and have no regard for the law, then they will follow that lead.
-It is stupid and downright retarded to have one man walk around with $17M.
-No matter how much I love my job or my boss, no way anybody getting me to walk around with $17M in Guyana without a fully armed entourage.
-Getting anybody from off the street and putting him in a police or army uniform does not make him an officer, it only makes him a man in a security uniform.
-Police and army officers are paid close to nothing, they are treated like animals and there is no appreciation for the jobs they do or for the pressure on their families. They have no medical plan and if they’re killed their families have nothing to get.
-The prison sentences in Guyana is a joke.
-No one looks over the job being done by the army head, police commissioner or the head of prisons. No one holds the home affairs minister or president responsible. Everyone does as they please, the jobs are done poorly or not at all.
-Guyana is a lawless society.
Hey Brandon, can you drop me a line? gerhard.ramsaroop@gmail.com
brandon these are criminals in sheep’s clothing..
They are freespeech and this was something we knew prior to 92 that we had to guard against what has your PPP done to change the situation? nothing zero nothing.
The PPP does not have the interest of the people who put them in office they are busy with their own well being.
Good stuff again Jim-Bob.
Ya’ll see why the Government can’t trust the army and the police force?Bloggers can put their blinders on and start arguing after all thats what we Guyanese do best.Over and Out.
yeh Marc,somebody was saying the Gov had 17yrs to reform the GPF and GDF,well what kind of reforming would it take to root out these deliquents?
Marc In every army and police force on this earth could be found criminal elements, so what foolishness you talking about not trusting them?
The difference between other countries and Guyana is that those ranks are thoroughly investigated and charged. Also, in other countries, ministers found to be involved with known criminals either lead by example and step down from office, or face the full force of the LAW.
The security forces in Guyana is riddled with criminals and nothing is being done to change the situation. In 1992 after the PPP won the election Dr Jagan refused Canadian help to turn around the security forces. He told the C’dian representative that he has very good people in the police, he wanted money only. The president went so far to hire a convicted criminal from New York to be a consultant. It is so sad to see the govt. stumbling daily on issues that are reparable.
But Marc,you and the likes of Witch Dr. are the ones who refuse to believe mr Aroquim about Lindo Creek,what is your position on this issue,are you here or there? Sympathies to the family,I hope he is found soon!
Thats right Witch Dacta, Afghanistan and Iraq took a few years to rebuild from nothing your Poo poo poo has had 17 years not 1 not 7 but 17 years and guess what is still de PHENC fault and is ahhh global warming fault and ummm oh yes is the opposition forces and ahhh right de freedumb fighters lets not forget….and oh yes this is because burnham banned flour. yep yep ppp boys i have all your excuses for Jagdoe righht here…. come and get your execuses. One and alll…..
Think about this . Where in guyana will u find , Honest , moral & law abiding , decent people to replace the delinquents ?? Pnc tried , PPP say they trying , wait, Throtman will do it ? Don’t know what BS is yakking about the ppp this & that but this kind of change will not happen in this generation . Not with PPP as Gov’ment & Pnc trying to win again .
wow!this one takes the cake. i wonder who have the missing $$$
How come Jagdeo has not issued a 25 Dollar reward for everyone who can come forward with credible information leading to crimes committed by the Army and foolice?
Solideer whappen reward money dry up or what?
It’s a sad state of affairs when the people expected to protect us are the the very ones accused of harming us. Integrity seems to be a foreign character trait in Guyana.
My sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. The security forces in Guyana is riddled with criminals and nothing is being done to change the situation. In 1992 after the PPP won the election Dr Jagan refused Canadian help to turn around the security forces. He told the C’dian representative that he has very good people in the police, he wanted money only. I keep reading about help being sought from Scotland Yard and other entities, this is just waste talk. The president went so far to hire a convicted criminal from New York to be a consultant. It is so sad to see the govt. stumbling daily on issues that are reparable.
VijaySingh,
Do you have solid info to establish that president Cheddi Jagan refused help from Canadian Govt. to reform the GPF? Or is this hearsay?
If this is so, this has to the most powerful indictment of the PPP govt. since 1992. They have no sense of what the priorities are or should be for this lovely country.
I think the Minister of Home Affairs should be investigated for incompetence in this particular case.
Well said Sir Well Said,it is time for us to demand better from our government.what are we saying to the outside world, what a shame,my deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
Raj when the PPP was given direct contacts for private contractors they refused, Rohee himself scoffed at this idea.
The PPP believes they can do everything via freedumb house and the worst thing that could have landed in their lap was Raja Khan they saw this as a cheap and inexpensive way (short Sightedness of course) to be their saviour before Raja it was a litany of other characters.
I think the Home Affairs Minister Mr. Clement Rohee should resign.
SHAME, SHAME , SHAME . WHO TO TRUST .O MY GOD IMAGINE SOLDIERS AND POLICE.MY SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY.
Jagdeo should be demanding Best resignation immediately.
This is ridiculous.
These are the people who are “PAID” to served and protect.
These are the same people that is “TORTURING” innocent civilian’s
and members of GDF at Camp Ayanganna.
I’m convince that it is the Joint Service that “KILLED” the eight
miners at Lindo Creek last year.
Greetings fellow bloggers, very good points Mr. West Bank however according to Minister Robert Persaud it’s not torture it’s “roughed up.” This is the sad stated of affairs of the Guyana Defence Force under the command of Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best the former head of the Coast Guard and the PPP administration. It seems some soldiers have lost their military back bone. I never had doubts about who killed those miners at Lindo Creek last year. Now it’s more blood on the hands of the Government and the legally established law enforcement agencies.
14 to 15 months since they, the Joint Service allegedly killed the 8
miners and we still can’t get the DNA test results from
the Jamaicans Police Dept, or the DNA samples misplace ?.
Criminals in ARMY and POLICE clothing at Camp Ayanganna and
Eve Leary. TaxPayers paying Police and the GDF personnel to rob and kill them in the country. I will love to hear from
the Commander-in-Chief or the Secretary of the Defence Board
on this one.
Do not get your hopes up Pourderoyen man yer boy jagdeo and lunchbox will come up with more excuses. Watch and see they are gonna go and arrest people on the highway and holler is intellectual planners who doing this.
The PPP has let us down and they have failed us my good people.
It is time to send them packing. How much more of these kind of failures can we tolerate?
My gut told me that there had to be somebody like these THREE involved in the incidents in that particular area!OFFICERS INVOLVED IN CRIME MUST HAVE DOUBLE PUNISHMENT for bringing SHAME to the forces that have sworn to SERVE and PROTECT.Mr.Best and Mr.Greene must start doing HOUSE CLEANING because there are MANY,MANY more of these THREE who are awaiting the OPPORTUNITY to cause GUYANA more DISGRACE
Deze Tante,
Military Justice is indeed “double punishment”. Militay justice demands this trio band of Coast Guard soldiers be put to face the firing squad.
There was something about this crime that was so “daring” and bare-faced that makes your stomach grate inside. The victim had already been seated in his speed boat and had already taken off for Bartica – and they commandeered the boat, ordered it to return – so they can remove the victim (he was kidnapped – the victim was afraid to resist) and dump him overboard.
The sheer brazenness of this crime demands military justice. Nothing less will suffice
This is the culture of corruption and barefacedness that comes from the top down. If the government ignores the rule of law and has Raja khan as sheriff what kind of example is that setting for the troops?
You think when Jagdeo refuses to hold an independent inquiry of the PPP dealings with Raja the effects end there? no the rest of society watches that barefaced lying and deceit and guess what they do the same thing.
Monkey see monkey do.
shame on th efoolice and gdph.SHAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!——————————————————–
SN jaäl duz pay TAX?…jus look wha tax-payers payin fha….PAY TIL YU DEAD AN PAY FU YU DEATH…..WHA DEM 3 DIS GUN PAY FHA?I do hope that they at least PAY for causing the JOINT FORCES SHAME and DISGRACE.If the officers of the LAW do not show any RESPECT who would? Lunchoen!Rohee!Greene and Mr.Jagdeo WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY TO YOUR ARMED FORCES AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS????
Who to trust in our contry the law mens can’t be trusted .This reminds us of the mining camp killings and buring of the bodies.