The Joint Services have rushed additional troops into the hinterland to boost their jungle fight against a gang of gunmen who have eluded them for over a week in the Christmas Falls, Upper Berbice River area.
“There isn’t anything new coming out, but we are pursuing these men,” a top joint services official told Stabroek News yesterday, while confirming that additional ranks had been flown into the jungle. The official would not speculate as to whether the gunmen might have slipped the police cordon, saying that the operation is ongoing and at the end of it that question would be answered.
In a press release on Saturday the Joint Services expressed concern over the headlines and stories carried by certain sections of the media in relation to the present pursuit of a number of wanted men, including Rondel Rawlins called `Fineman’, in the Upper Berbice River area by members of the Joint Services.
“It has been observed that these stories are substantially different from what is known by the Joint Services based on the information in our possession but which would not be prudent for release to the media at this time,” the release said.
The Joint Services noted that it appears that sections of the media are engaged in mere speculation while attributing their `information’ to unnamed Joint Services sources. “Our ranks are still on the trail of the wanted men who managed to escape following an exchange of gunfire at their camp at Christmas Falls, Berbice River, during which wanted man Otis Fifee was shot and killed and we urge that the media refrain from such speculating as the articles publicized are erroneous and misleading the general public,” the release added without naming the offending media house.
Investigators last week arrested a Lethem woman whose phone number reportedly showed up in Rawlins’ diary. The woman had been released without any charge.
Stabroek News was told that investigators are said to be hot on the trail of a number of persons whose names and numbers have showed up in Rawlins’ diary which was abandoned when lawmen engaged his gang of seven two Fridays ago. The woman might have been the last person to have made contact with Rawlins, whose diary also revealed notes on the Lusignan and Bartica killings and also plans to avenge his murdered sister, Marcyn King and his teenage, child mother, Tenisha Morgan who had gone missing.
Army Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best told reporters last week that the GDF’s helicopters were deployed in the area and these were conducting air reconnaissance, while other law enforcement ranks were deployed on boat and land.
Responding to intelligence reports that Rawlins and his troops were hiding out at Christmas Falls some 300 miles up the Berbice River, members of the Joint Services descended on the forested area on June 6. Once there they came under fire from around seven men, one of whom – was shot and killed. The other six men, including Rawlins however managed to escape leaving behind a cache of arms and ammunition, some of which has been confirmed by police as having been stolen from the Bartica Police station the night that community came under siege by gunmen.
The security forces had also discovered that the men were housed in an area with four buildings. They had foodstuff to last several weeks in a large kitchen, which also had a gas stove, generator and solar energy. In addition, there were six portable tents, four hammocks, three mattresses, a mini-stereo system, a DVD player, a cell phone, a hand-held radio set, items of clothing, medical supplies and a Bible.
