An East Bank Demerara mother of one got the shock of her life yesterday after two van loads of police officers mistakenly searched her house while no one was at home.
Michelle Basdeo, a private sector employee who lives at Lot 36, Bougainvillea Park, Farm, East Bank Demerara with her four-year-old son, told Stabroek News yesterday that she left her home intact around 7:30 am yesterday and headed for the city.
Basdeo said while she was at work, her son, who was at school, fell ill with fever and she decided to take him to see a doctor. She said it was while waiting to see the doctor at a hospital around 10:30 am, that she received a call from her neighbor. The person informed her that the police had surrounded her house and were breaking a window at the side to gain entry.
She said the call added to her already confused state and she left her son with someone at the hospital and sped home to see what was amiss. She said during this time her sister arrived at the house and saw it “open to the public”. Basdeo said one of the officers asked her sister if she lived there, but before she could respond, continued, “oh, we finish with yuh house”.
Basdeo said when she arrived home, she saw police officers standing in front of her home with guns at the ready, while their colleagues were searching her neighbour’s home opposite her at Lot 34. She said the lawmen told her to “remain calm” but she was shaking, and was in a state of shock at the officers’ actions.
She said when she checked her property; the doors to the house were broken, while a piece of grill material from the front door was cut. When Stabroek News arrived at the scene, the woman and her baby sitter were attempting to clean the ransacked house. At the side of the house, several louvre panes lay on the grass while a piece of mesh attached to the window, which is used to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house was slashed into pieces.
Inside the house, a trap door in the roof in the bathroom area was half open, while several cupboard doors in the woman’s kitchen, her bedroom as well as her son’s room were open. Basdeo said she took pride in her son’s educational ability and as such her home is designed in this regard.
The upset woman said she could not decipher how the police entered her home without a search warrant and when no one was at home. She said the officers did not say who or what they were looking for.
The woman said she has since spoken to her lawyer who plans to take up the matter with the authorities while she has lodged a statement at the Providence Police Station.
Meanwhile, after searching the woman’s home, the police officers turned their attention to the woman’s neighbour, opposite, and arrested two men. The men were taken into the custody but were subsequently released.
On Saturday afternoon, several members of the joint services had searched another house located several doors away from Basdeo’s. This newspaper understands that they searched the house again yesterday, gaining entry by breaking a window.
Reports are that an East Bank Demerara businessman resides at the house in question and he is reportedly wanted by the police for questioning.
