Weeks after gunmen invaded their township killing 12 people in a one-hour rampage during which large quantities of gold and guns were stolen, Barticians are still living in fear. And as the security forces struggle to capture the killers, one of the victims of the attack said he was convinced that the gunmen deliberately dropped a stolen weapon in Linden to place blame on another group.
Chunilall Baboolall, owner of CBR Mining, one of the business places which was invaded on the night of February 17 and from where close to one dozen firearms were stolen, told Stabroek News on Tuesday he found it strange that after carrying out such a “clean” operation, the gunmen would have left behind one of the weapons in Linden. “Something is wrong there and it is clear the weapon was dropped there to blame other people,” Baboolall asserted. Police had not published any ballistics results of the weapons used in the killings, but President Bharrat Jagdeo had said that the gunmen who invaded Bartica were the same men who killed 11 people at Lusignan three weeks earlier. Observers believe that two different gangs committed the crimes with some persons venturing to say that the killing at Bartica was motivated by robbery. Like many other Barticians, Baboolall said he was not sure who was behind the attack; what he is certain about is that residents assisted the criminals.
On March 7 the joint services had issued a statement revealing that they had unearthed one of the 11 12-gauge shotguns that had been stolen from Baboolall abandoned in a camp at Bucktown, Wismar, Linden. The lawmen had also retrieved Baboolall’s Guyana passport and his National Insurance Scheme card. The documents were found along with a quantity of eating utensils, a searchlight, a green tarpaulin; a hacksaw blade, and an empty plastic water container, among other articles. The businessman told Stabroek News during an interview in Bartica that the slaughter was the work of outsiders ably assisted by people in the community. He said there were people who recognized the gunmen and maybe that is why so many people were killed. In addition to stealing the weapons, the gunmen murdered Baboolall’s watchman and carried away two safes containing gold and money. But there was a third safe in the house and Baboolall is questioning why the criminals did not remove that also.
Asked how he was coping since the incident, Baboolall said business had been slow. He said he was among the many residents who were living in fear, noting that even the increased presence of the joint services in the area had not made him feel better. “The men who committed the act were dressed in military type clothing so even the police and soldiers around have not made me feel better,” the businessman said.
‘Security climate stable’
Sub-divisional commander responsible for Bartica and surrounding communities, John Sauers, who was rushed to the area following the killings said that for now the security climate in the community was stable. Sauers said like everything else residents were still recovering from the event, but the security team up there was providing the reassurance to them. On the night of the killings the gunmen had visited the home of the officer in charge shortly after slaughtering the three policemen at the station. The Deputy Superintendent said once he got into the area his major task was to provide the kind of leadership which would boost the morale of the traumatized ranks, some of whom were at the station the night when their colleagues were killed. At present the joint services team at Bartica comprises an army captain and another senior rank from the Tactical Services Unit.
Sauers said the team conducts regular patrols and cordon and search operations in and around the Bartica community. Asked what his biggest challenge was now, Sauers said to rebuild the police-civilian relationship and motivate his charges. Commis-sioner of Police Henry Greene had admitted that the ranks at Bartica were not alert enough on the night of the attack, but Sauers said he had been talking a lot to his officers about them being vigilant at all times. “I have been talking to them to be alert, vigilant and security conscious,” Sauers said. He said he had also impressed upon the ranks the need to cultivate a good relationship with members of the public. Asked to what extent crime was a problem in Bartica, Sauers said the community was relatively quiet on the crime front. He said the slaughter had certainly changed the way people thought about Bartica, but maintained that if one were to examine the records they would see that apart from that incident the area was stable. “Apart from the one-off robbery and now and then a murder, the people in this community live quite good,” Sauers remarked.
On the quality of the troops based there at present, Sauers said it was adequate to quell the threats of the gunmen. Acknowledging that there might have been lapses in the past, he said that things had changed and there was a greater level of awareness and vigilance on the part of the ranks. “We are confident that everyone will function according to his mandate and will be able to deal with any threat,” Sauers, the former public relations officer of the police force stated.
School attendance normal
Chairman of Region Seven, Holbert Knights said at the level of the regional administration they had been working to reduce whatever psycho-social impact the killings would have had on children and residents as a whole. Knights said that residents had not forgotten the tragedy although many had moved on. He said immediately after the killings schools were virtually closed as parents kept their children at home, however the situation had returned to normal. “We are seeing normal attendance and performance in schools, but we are still mindful of the psycho-social effects the tragedy might have had on the schoolchildren,” the regional chairman said. Knights disclosed too that during his many walks around the community there were people who complained about not being able to sleep well, while others said they usually avoided visiting certain places.
Around 9.45 on the night of February 17 an estimated 15-20 gunmen descended on Bartica. Reports were that three of the men were left to guard the river while more than ten others assaulted the community in the hour-long attack. The police outpost was first attacked and three officers were killed while two others were seriously wounded. The gang of gunmen carted off several firearms and ammunition from two strongboxes at the outpost.
Baboolall’s business CB&R Mining was then attacked and it was there the gang shot dead security guard, Irving Ferreira, before escaping with 12 rifles and a quantity of gold, among other items. The other persons killed in the attack were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes and Dexter Adrian; policemen stationed at the Bartica Police Station – Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir and Constables Shane Fredericks, Ron Osborne and Deonarine Singh who was from Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu, Ashraf Khan of Middlesex Essequibo, Abdool Yasin, Errol Thomas of Tuschen East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose East Coast Demerara were shot execution style at the Transport and Harbours Stelling.
