Corentyne rice farmer held over firing of round at murder witness’s house

A Corentyne rice farmer was yesterday placed under arrest at the Springlands  Police Station, after a report was filed alleging that the man on Friday night discharged a round from his shotgun at the house of a witness in the murder case of Number 70 carpenter, Faiyaz Narinedatt.

The witness is currently hospitalised over suspected poisoning which is also being investigated.

Commander of B Division Ian Amsterdam, when contacted confirmed the man’s arrest, while noting that the investigation is presently ongoing. “We swabbed the man to check if he fired a round and it was sent for testing , we are waiting on that result, and we are also checking to see if any other persons saw the man discharge the round or would have heard the round”, Amsterdam said via telephone yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the witness’s mother said she had just returned from the hospital where her 16-year-old son is presently admitted and was heading into the shower when she heard a car stop abruptly in front of her house. Identifying the rice farmer, the woman said, “He come out the car and say ‘weh ayo deh?, come out let me done with ayo’”. The woman said she became scared as she was alone at home at that time. “He say he go burn down the house and me start think where me go escape by”.

It was then that the man discharged a round from his firearm in the direction of the woman’s house.

The woman said that she waited for the man to drive off, after which she rushed to a relative’s house located in said village. “People telling me I got to be careful, I scared yes, them can do anything to me”, said the woman.

Touching on her son’s condition, the woman stated that he has gotten worse since being admitted. “He belly swelling and around he navel corner getting blue blue”, she explained.

She said that doctors have confirmed that the teenager’s food was laced with a poisonous substance. However, she said tests are being done to determine what kind of poisonous substance.

An investigation was launched into the suspected poisoning, however, no one has since been placed under arrest. Stabroek News was told that both investigators in B Division and the Major Crimes Unit have since obtained statements from the victim and his relatives.