— says victim

Weeks after gunmen invaded their township killing 12 people in a one-hour rampage during which large quantities of gold and guns were stolen, Barticians are still living in fear. And as the security forces struggle to capture the killers, one of the victims of the attack said he was convinced that the gunmen deliberately dropped a stolen weapon in Linden to place blame on another group.

Chunilall Baboolall, owner of CBR Mining, one of the business places which was invaded on the night of February 17 and from where close to one dozen firearms were stolen, told Stabroek News on Tuesday he found it strange that after carrying out such a “clean” operation, the gunmen would have left behind one of the weapons in Linden. “Something is wrong there and it is clear the weapon was dropped there to blame other people,” Baboolall asserted. Police had not published any ballistics results of the weapons used in the killings, but President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that the gunmen who invaded Bartica were the same men who killed 11 people at Lusignan three weeks earlier. Observers believe that two different gangs committed the crimes with some persons venturing to say that the killing at Bartica was motivated by robbery. Like many other Barticians, Baboolall said he was not sure who was behind the attack; what he is certain about is that residents assisted the criminals.