Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 11, 2010 News
– Police not buying ‘fishy’ story
Three crewmen, who claimed that they were attacked by pirates, Tuesday night, in the Demerara River and robbed of millions of dollars in local and foreign currency, are being held by police after giving conflicting statements.
The men claimed that they were on a vessel in the Demerara River somewhere between Grove and Diamond, East Bank Demerara, when they were attacked by gunmen who demanded cocaine and cash.
The crewmembers also claimed that they were going to use the cash to buy fuel from a tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. According to police officials, the crewmen said that they were in the vessel, a fishing trawler converted into a fuel boat, when around 19:30hrs, two masked men boarded it.
One of the men was armed with a handgun while the other, with a cutlass, the men told the police.
Kaieteur News understands that the Captain of the “Salmon” had over TT$177,000 (some $5.4M) along with US$8,000 ($1.6M) in their possession. The money was given to them by the boat owner to purchase fuel.
The cash was reportedly taken by the pirates along with a radio set. One crewman also claimed that $25,000 and a Motorola cell phone was also stolen from him.
In custody are the Captain Jerry Khan, 47, of Eccles; crewmen Motieram Doodnauth, 42, of Diamond, and Roy Etwaru of Friendship.
One crewman reportedly told police that he was talking to the Captain in the wheelhouse when two robbers surprised them. They were ordered to lie on the floor and the pirates cut the strings from nearby life jackets and bound their hands.
This happened while the bandits were making demands for cocaine and money.
Another crewman claimed that he was on his phone at the bow of the boat when an armed man accosted him. The pirate demanded money and cocaine also. The crewman told police that the money was on the bed in the cabin. He too was tied up with the pirates reportedly escaping in a waiting boat.
The Captain, according to police sources, claimed that he was in the wheelhouse when two armed men who demanded cocaine and money surprised him. They then locked him in the engine room, he said. According to police sources, the stories of the men did not add up and investigators searched their homes. One of the crewmen claimed that he was beaten with a cutlass but there were no marks of violence on his body.
With one of the “victims” claiming that they were headed to Trinidad and Tobago, the police suspicions were raised over the inconsistencies. They promptly placed them in separate cells and questioned. They were also asked whether buying fuel in the Atlantic Ocean was legal.
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