Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 05, 2010 News
Guyana recorded 116 murders for the year 2009, 42 less than the previous year. And again the Police A Division, the most densely populated section in the country, accounted for the most murders with a total of 38, followed by the Interior Division with 21.
Both Divisions recorded less murders than the previous year with 44 and 41 respectively.
There were 19 murders each in Berbice and on the East Coast of Demerara.
However, investigators have recorded a high rate of prosecution, a significant increase from the previous year when there were a number of unsolved gang-related killings.
A look at the preliminary figures obtained exclusively by this newspaper, indicates that of the 38 murders in A Division, 18 of them have seen charges instituted.
But according to a source in the Division, this rate of prosecution could increase, since the remaining 20 murders are still being vigorously investigated.
The source pointed out that some of the files on the unprosecuted matters are still to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.
“There is a high probability that there will be more charges,” the source told this newspaper.
Of the 19 murders in Berbice, 13 of them are engaging the court, while the other six are still being investigated.
Among the Berbice murders still in limbo are those of 18-year old Christine Alexis George and Nikecia Anita Rouse, a 25-year old teacher, both of New Amsterdam, who were brutally stabbed to death between February 14 and February 15.
Many still believe that a Guyana-born former US soldier, who was briefly detained by the police, is responsible for the killings.
Also on the unsolved murder list in Berbice, is Ganesh Ramkellawan, who was shot dead on May 16 when a gang of bandits stormed houses in the Chesney, South Albion area.
Forty-year old Chitra Punwasi’s murder is also unsolved.
The woman was found dead on her bed with marks of violence at her Corentyne house on September 27. She was last seen alive two days earlier.
Another unsolved murder in Berbice is that of 15-year-old schoolboy, Vivian Singh, who died after a beating on the Number 63 Beach, on November 8, allegedly in a dispute over watermelons.
Police had detained some suspects but they were subsequently released.
Bissoo Persaud, 78, of Number Two Village, East Canje was found bound and gagged in his home on December 19.
He was taken to the New Amsterdam hospital where he later died. No one has been charged for his murder.
Investigators on the East Coast of Demerara also have some work to do to solve five 2009 murders in that Division.
Among them are the murders of actor Joel Fraser and businessman Ramzan Alli.
Fraser was found dead with his throat slit on the Liliendaal Seawall on November 25, while Alli was discovered in the trunk of his car on the Coldingen Railway Embankment on July 12.
Investigators had detained Alli’s wife but she was later released after they were unable to gather sufficient evidence to link her to the murder.
Sparendaam resident, Marlon Britton’s murder, is also on the unsolved list in C Division. He was shot dead on June 9 while visiting a female friend at the back of the village.
And the last murder for the year in the division also remains unsolved. That involved the death of Rajkumar Mahadeo, 73, who was found dead in front of her yard at Lusignan on Christmas Eve Day, a victim of manual strangulation.
Two persons were held for her murder but they were released.
Officially, there were no murders recorded in Essequibo although, several bodies including those of three degutted fishermen, turned up in that division.
A senior police official indicated that most of the murders in 2009 were domestic in nature, although there were still a few execution style killings.
The police are asking anyone with information about the unsolved cases to assist them with the investigations, while assuring that confidentiality will be strictly adhered to.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 18, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has been named Wisden’s leading Twenty20 Cricketer for 2023, as she topped all and sundry, including her male counterparts. Alan Gardner looks...Kaieteur News – Compliments of the Ministry of Education, our secondary school children are being treated to a stage... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]