Guyana has asked Venezuela to positively identify one of its nationals killed here as investigations continue into the alleged kidnapping of a woman and her three-year-old daughter by two Venezuelans from their Ruimzeigt, West Coast Demerara home on Saturday morning.
In a gun battle between police and the kidnappers hours after the woman and her daughter were taken hostage, Raul Antonio Munoz Centeno was shot and killed while another national of the South American country, Jesus Oliva Ortega Manriquez was captured. Police are looking for a third suspect believed to be a Venezuelan also.
Stabroek News was told yesterday that efforts were being made through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown to make contact with Caracas so that the dead man could be positively identified. Police said that documents found on him bore the name that was released. Stabroek News was told that the man had been seen in Guyana before and he apparently knew Barry Dataram, the husband of the woman, Shaliza Dataram who along with her baby was taken captive by the foreigners.
In a statement on Sunday police said that the entire episode is believed to be linked to drugs. “Police are of the view that this incident is drug-related as one of the men involved is identified as being involved in drug-related activities,” the police statement said. The mother, Shaliza Dataram and child were freed from a house after the shoot-out and the police were up to yesterday still hunting for a third man who escaped during the melee. Senior police sources told this newspaper yesterday that the kidnap victim, Shaliza Dataram and her husband were still in police custody up to last night. Police have been questioning the couple with the view of finding out whether the couple knew the kidnappers, although Barry has been maintaining that he does not know the men.
Police said in a statement on Sunday that about 12 noon on Saturday Barry Dataram, 29, reported to them that about 2 am the said day as he was about to enter his home two masked men armed with a rifle and a handgun held him at gunpoint and forced him into the building. The two armed men tied him up and allegedly demanded cash and jewellery and Dataram’s wife Shaliza handed over US$16,000, $800,000 and jewellery to the value of $40,000. The men then took Shaliza Dataram and their three-year-old daughter and escaped in Barry Dataram’s motor car after telling him that they will call him later for more money.
Police said in their statement that further investigations revealed that the two armed men had taken Dataram and her daughter to Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo where they joined a boat captained by a man and disembarked at Pomeroon, making their way to the home of a resident. One of the men told the resident that they were on their way to Venezuela but the captain had to find a larger boat and requested to stay there until the captain returned with the boat, the police statement said. It added that the boat captain later returned with a third man in another boat and after some discussion they left. According to the police, ranks responded to a tip and about 1:30 pm on Saturday as they were on their way to the resident’s premises they came across the boat with the captain and the third man. The police called upon them to stop but they attempted to outrun the police who then discharged shots across the front of the vessel. Police said the captain jumped overboard and escaped while Manriquez was arrested.
The police said they continued to the residence of (the Pomeroon man) where they came under fire from the two armed men. Ranks returned fire and fatally wounded Centeno, while the other who was armed with the rifle managed to escape. A 9mm pistol with one matching round, two bulletproof vests and four cell phones were recovered at the scene by the police.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan in custody was deported from Guyana on November 27, 2007 for illegal entry after he was arrested in Georgetown.
He however never left the country according to reports. Stabroek News was told that Manriquez was here to work with a Brazilian mining firm. Stabroek News understands that Manriquez has since denied that he was part of the kidnapping of the family.
Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that the incident is another sign that “drugs are coming across our borders, facilitated by elements in these territories.” He said this was of concern to the government.
An officer close to the investigation told Stabroek News on Sunday that based upon reports they have received so far the entire incident resulted from a soured drug deal. Dataram is said to be a businessman who operates a farm in the Cuyuni Creek.
