Awaraparu Backdam shop owner, employee steal 8 ounces of gold

Dec 04, 2022 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

…charged with robbery under arms

Kaieteur News – Two men were on Thursday placed on $300,000 bail each after they were charged with thieving seven ounces of raw gold from a dredge owner at Awaraparu Backdam, Mazaruni River, Region Seven.

One of the men, a shop owner known as Dayton Richards, known as Muslim and Eldon Thomas, one of his employees, were slapped with robbery under arms charges when they appeared at the Bartica Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Crystal Lambert. The men pleaded not guilty to the offence and are to return to court on December 16, 2022.

Kaieteur News understands that the men committed the theft last Sunday.

Screen grab from CCTV footage of the men selling a piece of the stolen gold at a Bartica gold dealer.

Dredge owner, Rupan Ramatar, also known as ‘Fowl Cock’ said that his workers had left the backdam to buy fuel at the Awaraparu Landing and visited Richard’s shop to have a few drinks before renting his (shop owner) boat to return to the camp.

At around 17:30hrs, Richards and Thomas allegedly followed Ramatar’s workers and intercepted the boat on its way to the Backdam. The men reportedly searched Ramatar’s workers and relieved them of seven ounces of gold. The duo made good their escape.

Ramatar’s workers reported the matter to the police. However, when they returned to the Landing in search of Richards and Thomas, they were nowhere to be found.

Alarms were raised and contact made with all gold dealers in Bartica to be on the lookout for the duo. The men arrived in Bartica the following day as was anticipated to sell the stolen gold.

They were caught on CCTV cameras trying to break off a piece of the gold to sell to a gold dealer. They sold an ounce of gold and hurried off to the stelling where they boarded a speedboat heading to Parika.

Charged: Eldon Thomas

Dayton Richards, known as Muslim

Just after the men left the gold dealing establishment, the police were notified. Ranks from the Bartica Police Station boarded a boat shortly after in pursuit of the two men. Ranks from the Parika Police Station were also notified to provide support to the Bartica ranks.

The men were cornered at Hubu Point in the Essequibo River. Recognising that there was no way they could escape, Richards took the remaining gold he has stashed in his pants crotch and threw it into the Essequibo River.

Richards and Thomas were taken into police custody. While in custody, the men admitted to the crime after reviewing video evidence.

The money that they received from selling the ounce of gold was recovered by police.