Gun used in Mahaicony kidnapping belonged to murdered estate caretaker

Sep 12, 2009 News

Murdered caretaker, Muneshwar Paragass

At least one of the accused in the recent kidnap drama at Mahaicony is to be charged for the murder of caretaker, Muneshwar Paragass, who was gunned down at the Letter ‘T’ coconut estate last January.
Police sources confirmed yesterday that a 12-gauge shotgun that was recovered from the suspects is the same firearm that bandits took after killing 31-year-old Paragass at the Airy Hall, Mahaicony location.
A police official said that investigators are also preparing further charges against some of the kidnap suspects.
Paragass was shot in the chest at around 11:55 hrs on January 20, by three bandits, after he opened his door on hearing his dogs barking outside.
The bandits then tied up his wife, Shrimattie, known as ‘Nadia’, and escaped with $30,000, an undisclosed sum of jewellery and the slain man’s shotgun.
The slain man’s wife, Shirimattie Paragass, had said that she was putting the couple’s 15-month-old son to sleep when they heard their dogs barking.
The woman said that she heard a single gunshot shortly after her husband opened. She then locked herself in the bedroom but eventually opened it after the men began kicking at the door.
On entering, the bandits, who seemed to know her husband, demanded that she hand over his 12-gauge shotgun, which was in a case.
They eventually fled with the shotgun, cash and jewellery after tying her up.
Yesterday, the five kidnapping accused, Roger Persaud called ‘One Hand’, Denwick Booker also known as Gary Booker, 29, Michael Payne, 35, Suresh Hardowar, called ‘Boyo’, 23, and Dwayne Johnson also known as Dwayne King, 18, all of Haslington on the East Coast of Demerara, were remanded to prison on two charges of kidnapping.
It is alleged that on September 9, the five men kidnapped Mahaicony rice farmer, Parsram Ramnarace and Patrick Skeete. The men had demanded $12M for Ramnarace’s release.