Abducted miner released unharmed after fatal Kuribrong attack

Dead: Perion Nicholas Bobb
Dead: Perion Nicholas Bobb

Elon Thomas, the gold miner who was abducted on Sunday afternoon by a group of men after witnessing the murder of a co-worker at Hubana, Kuribrong, in Region Eight, has been found unharmed.

Thomas’ co-worker, Nicholas Bobb, also known as ‘Peron,’ a resident of Bartica, was killed after he was confronted by the group of men after reporting to the police that persons were stripping a vehicle.

The men then abducted Thomas, a resident of Met-en-Meerzorg, West Coast Demerara.

A team of police officers, who were dispatched to the area to investigate the murder, arrived at the scene yesterday.

A reliable source yesterday told Stabroek News that Thomas turned up unhurt at a mining camp sometime yesterday after he was reportedly dumped by his abductors somewhere along the trail in Hubana. He reportedly made his way back to the camp, the source added.

Thomas is expected to accompany the police to Bartica, where he will assist with the investigation.

The body of his colleague, Bobb, a driver, is also expected to be transported from the area.

The murder occurred shortly after 5.30pm when Thomas and Bobb, who were transporting a mining dredge, were confronted by one of the suspects involved in the stripping of the vehicle.

The suspect, accompanied by approximately 15 others, shot Bobb along the trail. It is suspected that he was shot because he reported that the suspect was stripping another miner’s vehicle for parts. He reported what he had witnessed to both the police and the owner of the vehicle.