Public terror wanted bulletins in dispute

May 01, 2025 News

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—three men allegedly wrongfully accused

Kaieteur News- Concerns are growing over the accuracy of the flurry of wanted bulletins being issued by the Guyana Police Force for persons who allegedly were engaged in riotous behaviour on Monday and other days following the death of Adriana Younge at the Double Day Hotel in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, last week.

Multiple riots erupted following the release of an autopsy report confirming that the 11-year-old girl died by drowning on Monday. Adriana was reported missing on April 23, 2025, and was later found dead in the pool of the Double Day Hotel. Notably, the same pool had reportedly been searched earlier, and there was no trace of the missing child, which raised serious public suspicion and fueled widespread outrage. The perceived inconsistencies in the investigation sparked nationwide protests, with many demanding answers and accountability from the authorities.

On Tuesday, in a video posted to his TikTok page, Younge’s father, Subryan Younge, alleged that police issued a false wanted bulletin for the taxi driver who had been assisting him in recent days. Mr. Younge was referring to a wanted bulletin that was issued by police for his driver, alleging that he caused public terror. Younge questioned why someone merely helping him through his grief would be targeted, accusing the police of intimidation and wrongful action.

“You know yesterday (Monday) in the hospital (Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation GPHC) yard, the police officer take out he phone and flashing and I ask the police man why he flash my driver. You know the police man never answer me. He never answered me, he never tell me nothing,” Mr. Younge said. He continued, “Baps suh, to be on the internet and up wanted picture, wanted picture come out for my driver, why wanted picture come out for he, what’s the reason why? Because he was the man who driving me? He was the taxi I choose to roll with. Why the police doing this thing this?”

Kaieteur News spoke to eyewitnesses on the scene on Monday when the police officer was seen taking a picture of the taxi driver who had been accompanying Younge. One witness said the police officer was confronted and questioned why the driver’s picture was being taken. “He (Police) acted like he was clueless when the guy confronted him,” the eyewitness recounted.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday at a joint press conference hosted by several political parties, Alliance For Change Leader, Attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes, also raised a concern about two brothers who were charged. He condemned the arrest and indictment of the two young men, who he said were allegedly caught up in the chaos outside the Leonora Police Station last week during a protest action.

Hughes said: “I personally saw these young men on Sunday. They live opposite the police station in their mother’s house. When the police fired tear gas and started to shoot, the entire crowd ran up their stairs (above the Chinese restaurant) through their house to escape the tear gas and ran out the back. There were three young ladies, ages 11, nine and some other age under that, in a room; they panicked and fled,” Hughes recalled. The AFC leader related that the two brothers, who had been on the verandah throughout the entire incident, went to search for their nieces after the chaos unfolded. During their search, they were not only arrested by the police but were also reportedly assaulted, said Hughes.

The AFC leader said that despite their attempts to assist their nieces, the brothers were taken into custody. He also said that even though he brought the incident to the attention of senior police officials, no investigation was conducted, and the two were remanded after appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He said, “So when you want to ask about scrapes, that’s an example of what happened to you, when you start to classify people as anything less than human.”

The police, in a separate statement on Tuesday, highlighted their ongoing operations, citing the arrest of over 100 persons for various offences, including robbery under arms. The statement also reported the seizure of 37 motorcycles allegedly used to commit crimes during the unrest. Between Monday and Wednesday, 30 wanted bulletins were issued for persons accused of inciting public terror. As tensions rise and more voices come forward with accounts of wrongful targeting, many are now questioning the transparency and intent behind the police’s actions. Calls for independent investigations and accountability are growing louder amid concerns that the campaign to restore public order may be violating the rights of innocent citizens.

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• accusation, false, police, Subryan Younge, wanted bulletin

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