Police in Essequibo were up to late last evening scouring the backlands at Bethany for the Mazaruni prison escapee who reportedly shot and killed the owner of a logging concession on Tuesday last.
Indar Gajadar also known as ‘Son’ of Zorg Market Dam, Essequibo Coast was shot in his chest during a robbery attempt. The killing was reportedly committed by escapee, Ronald ‘Black Boy’ Daniels who has managed to run rings around police and prison officers since December last year.
Contacted yesterday, Commander of ‘G’ Division Gavin Primo told Stabroek News that ranks were still pursuing the suspect. According to Primo, they were given a description of Gajadar’s killer and it fits Daniels. Primo said that yesterday ranks conducted searches in the backlands and up to late last evening they were still combing the area. Primo noted too that people have been coming forward to give information with regard to the whereabouts of the escapee and as such they have a general idea as to where he might be hiding out at the moment.
Reports were that Gadajar left for the Backdam on Monday last and was due to return home four days after. Relatives said they were at home on Wednesday when they received the news of Gajadar’s death. One of the dead man’s sisters said Gajadar had often complained about a man who had been stealing from the workers in the backdam and he had also reported the matter to the police. She recounted too that her brother had said that the man stole foodstuff and valuables from the workers and was always able to make good his escape. The woman said too that her brother did not own a gun but whenever he made reports to the police they would tell him to “shoot the man” and never acted on his reports.
The dead man’s sister told this newspaper that one of her brother’s workers said that they were cutting logs in the backdam when a man with a shotgun approached them. “He said the man told my brother to hand over his chainsaw, but since the saw was only three months into use, he apparently refused to cooperate,” she said. She said her brother’s worker said other workers also watched as the “thief man” pointed his gun to the side of Gajadar’s right rib cage area and pulled the trigger. The man said as soon as Gajadar fell to the ground, they started running for help.
Police later went into the area and retrieved Gajadar’s body. Primo said they had arrested five persons, all of whom are related to the escapee. He said yesterday that those persons have since been released on station bail.
Police in Essequibo had launched a hunt to recapture Daniels, a prisoner who escaped from the Mazaruni prison last December and had been wreaking havoc in his hometown, Bethany village. Director of Prisons Dale Erskine could not be reached yesterday for a comment on the issue. Erskine had told Stabroek News in January that the police were trying to recapture Daniels, but noted that officers would not just randomly go in search of the man unless they received leads or a position where the man could be found. Daniels had escaped from the prison on December 12 last year. According to reports, the prisoner was working in the prison kitchen when he jumped over the fence and escaped. He was serving a two-year sentence for break and enter and larceny committed sometime in 2005.
