Lloyd Johnson, one of the men charged with the GuySuCo $17.2 million payroll heist, and three other men are accused of the December 2005 Fort Island, Essequibo River armed robberies when over $10 million of booty was carted off.
Ryan Khan; Sarwan Caesar, 31, of Lot 9 Second Street, Meadow Bank, East Bank Demerara and Nizam Bailey along with Johnson were remanded to prison by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton when they appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The men were not required to plead to seven indictable charges of robbery under arms and one indictable charge of break and enter and larceny when they were read to them.
It is alleged that on December 23, 2005 at Fort Island, being armed with guns, the men robbed Alfred Mittleholzer of four Yamaha 75hp outboard engines; one Yamaha 25hp outboard engine; three chainsaws; two water pumps; one JVC music set; one Sharp television; one 12-gauge shotgun; one .38 revolver and eight matching rounds of ammunition.
Further, it is alleged that on December 24, 2005 at the same location the foursome, being armed with guns, robbed Parbattie Anjanie Umrao of $200,000, one Republic of Guyana Passport and a number of watches together worth $777,000. On that same date they also robbed the woman of a quantity of jewellery, two .32 magazines and one 12-gauge shotgun together worth just over $2.6 million; property of A. Kumar Umrao.
On December 24, 2005 at the same location the men also robbed Ramrattie Mathews at gunpoint of a quantity of jewellery, cash and electrical items.
The men are also facing two additional charges of robbery under arms and one charge of break and enter and larceny during which they allegedly stole over $2 million worth of items from another family at Fort Island on December 23.
The prosecution objected to bail citing the seriousness and prevalence of the offences. The prosecution also stated that if the men were released on bail they were likely to flee the jurisdiction.
Magistrate Octive-Hamilton subsequently ruled in the prosecution’s favour and the men were refused bail. They are to appear at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court next Thursday.
Caesar had appeared before the same magistrate on August 19 charged with robbery under arms. It was alleged that he had robbed Muneshwar Persaud of one .32 pistol, 14 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of cash together worth $1,222,800.
Bailey had also appeared before Magistrate Octive-Hamilton on a similar charge.
On December 23, a gang of bandits had invaded Fort Island carting off four guns, a quantity of ammunition, jewellery and cash. This attack and the disarming of several members of the community had police bracing for more attacks in the Essequibo River.
According to a police statement issued on Christmas Day that year, eight men carrying firearms attacked and robbed four Fort Island families beginning around 11 pm on December 23.
Mittleholzer, the police had said, was in his Fort Island yard when the men confronted him, held him at a gunpoint, forced him into his house with his wife and three children and proceeded to rob them.
The men, according to the police, then forced their way into the home of 50-year-old Matthews and her two daughters, held them at gunpoint and robbed them of electronics, jewellery and cellular phones.
According to the police they then moved to the home of 70-year-old Umrao and kicked open the door of his house and robbed him of his firearms and ammunition. Next they went to the house of the man’s daughter-in-law, Parbattie.
The woman had seen the bandits approaching and fled. Her house was ransacked by the men and a number of items were stolen. The gang then escaped in two boats along the Essequibo River.
