Clothes vendor charged with attempted murder, armed robbery of Essequibo businessman

A clothes vendor was yesterday morning denied bail by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton when he appeared before her charged with attempted murder and robbery under arms.

The first charge against Ray Yukum is that on April 24, at Georgetown, he discharged a loaded firearm at Ganesh Jaigobin, with intent to murder him. The second charge read that on the same day, at Regent Road, Bourda, being armed with a weapon, he robbed Jaigobin of $1.6 million. The defendant was not required to plead to the indictable charges when they were read to him. After hearing all the facts presented in the matter, the magistrate remanded the defendant to prison and adjourned the matter until May 25.

Meanwhile, Jaigobin, an Essequibo Coast businessman who was shot twice during the robbery, has since been discharged from hospital, though a bullet was still said to be lodged in his body.

According to reports, Jaigobin who operates a supermarket at Anna Regina, arrived on Regent Street in a white taxi some time before 14:00 hrs. The businessman, who had what appeared to be a laptop bag, went to a store, where he spent about 30 minutes after which he re-entered the taxi with the bag slung over his shoulder. As the businessman sat chatting with his driver, this newspaper had been told, a man, dressed in brown three-quarter pants, a brown top and a black cap, approached. The man pulled out a small pistol and instructed Jaigobin to “pass this f…ing money.”

The businessman reportedly resisted the gunman who pointed his weapon through the window and discharged with three rounds, two of which hit Jaigobin in the forearm and the abdomen.

The gunman then jumped on a waiting motorcycle driven by an accomplice and fled the scene with the bag of money.