Two held over murder of Bourda St vendor

Troy Ramalho
Troy Ramalho

Two persons including a taxi driver were arrested by the police over the weekend in connection with the murder of Bourda Street vendor, Troy Ramalho and one of  them has since admitted his involvement in the crime.

A police source yesterday confirmed with Stabroek News that the taxi driver who was nabbed on Saturday was questioned during which he admitted to transporting the three suspects to and from the scene.

The man who is said to be cooperating with the investigators has since provided them with names of the suspects who go by the aliases ‘Dig out’, ‘Bucky’ and ‘Roy’.

While ‘Dig out’ was apprehended, a search is ongoing for his two accomplices, the source said.

Ramalho, 45, a cheese vendor of King Edward Street, Albouystown was shot and killed during a robbery on August 16 while he was plying his trade at Bourda Street.

He was rushed to the Georgetown Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Ramalho was plying his trade when three men  appeared from the eastern direction and approached him.

The bandits demanded that Ramalho hand over the jewellery and one of them shot him.

He subsequently collapsed and the men made good their escape in the northern direction.

The police in a press statement had said that Ramalho had just closed up for the night and was waiting on a taxi to take him home when the suspects, one of whom was armed with a gun, pounced on him.

The gunman, according to a witness, discharged a round at Ramalho who fell instantly, while the other men relieved him of his jewellery and quickly fled the scene.

A CD vendor who wished not to be named had related to this newspaper that he was in the vicinity packing up his cart when he heard a loud explosion.

“I did standing up hay (on Bourda Street) facing suh (west) and I see them girls …dancing up deh in the verandah so I busy watching and all of a sudden all I hear is a loud bow”, the man had said.

He noted that he later learnt that it was ‘Rasta man’ who was shot.