Three held for questioning over police recruit’s murder

Three persons, including a woman, were up to late yesterday afternoon being interrogated by police over the murder of police recruit Harold Haimchand Sukhai.

Harold Haimchand Sukhai
Harold Haimchand Sukhai

Sukhai, 25, sustained a single gunshot to the chest during an attack by three robbers on Sunday at the Tuschen, East Bank Essequi-bo area, where he was walking with his girlfriend.

Stabroek News was reliably informed that two men of the men, who are suspected to be part of a gang that has been preying on the Tuschen New Scheme, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the murder.

A source told this newspaper that one of the men was subsequently released while a third man was arrested early yesterday afternoon.

The source said that the woman that Sukhai was with at the time of the shooting was also being questioned by the police.

This newspaper was told that since the shooting, there has been a strong police presence in the area and there have been no reports of any serious crimes being committed.

Police said Sukhai was accompanying his girlfriend to her home when they were attacked by three men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, at around 8:30pm on Sunday.

“The perpetrators took away the female’s gold jewellery and her cell phone, during which Constable Harold Sukhai was shot to his chest,” the force said, while adding that Sukhai was later rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Stabroek News was told that Sukhai was left lying on the roadway for about half an hour while the police conducted their investigations.

It is believed that the trio who attacked Sukhai had earlier attempted to rob a man on the Tuschen main road. Stabroek News was told that the man despite being beaten managed to fight off his assailants.

Residents said that they are scared for their lives and noted that armed robberies, incidents of rape and attempted rape and break and enter and larceny have been on the increase since around the middle of last year.

They blamed the surge in crime in the area on inadequate police patrols and lack of street lights.

They also noted that based on investigations, the trio who killed Sukhai is part of a gang that is based at the back of the scheme at a place called the ‘Blacka.’