Another suspect in the $60 million robbery of an Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara businessman earlier this month, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday charged with the offence and was remanded to prison.
Godfrey Smith, 54, of Adventure, Essequibo Coast was not required to plead to the indictable charge of robbery under arms and was remanded to prison by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.
It is alleged that on December 11 at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, the accused, being together with others and armed with guns, robbed Basdeo Sahadar of $5.7 million and 355 ounces of raw gold valued at $55 million with a total value of $60.7 million.
Smith is the second person to be charged with the offence. Last Tuesday Avinash Ghakra Bhandu Rampertab, a taxi-driver of Lot 41 Success Village, East Coast Demerara appeared before Magistrate Fazil Azeez at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court and he was also not required to plead to the indictable charge of robbery under arms and was remanded to prison by the magistrate, who sent the matter to the Chief Magistrate for re-assignment.
Reports are that shortly before 7 pm on the said date; a gang of armed men invaded the Anna Catherina home of Sahadar and as he attempted to run away, shot him in the left hip. Holding his son Davendra at gunpoint, they ransacked the home and discovered the items. Firing shots in the air, the bandits escaped in a waiting car after residents began blocking the road. Police had said that it is suspected that the bandits escaped by boat along the Atlantic Ocean. Smith was arrested the next day and the car suspected to have been used by the bandits was recovered in the city.
On December 13, acting on information received, the police arrested Rampertab in Kitty. Police in a press release had said that $1.8 million had been recovered from his hotel room.
After further investigations, Smith was also charged. He had previously been charged with offences of a similar nature including the $40 million Barlow Landing robbery. He along with Dwayne Grant, 42, of West Ruimveldt and Rohan Khan, 47, of Railway Embankment, Lamaha Street were charged in February last year with 13 counts of robbery under arms and they were not required to plead.
It is alleged that on December 14, 2005 at Barlow Landing, the trio, being armed with guns, robbed a group of miners and diamond buyers, including several Brazilians of a quantity of gold, diamond, cash, diesel and clothing together worth over $40 million. That matter is continuing at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.
At court on Friday, the magistrate remanded Smith until January 21, next year when he will return to Court One.