The post-mortem examinations (PME) conducted on the three pirates and the police officer, who were killed during a shootout around 6.30 am last Friday at the Cromarty foreshore revealed that they died from shock and haemorrhage due to gunshot wounds.
Detective Constable Travis Oslyn Glasgow, attached to the Whim Police Station was killed when the pirates opened fire on the police. The bullet pierced his bulletproof vest and hit him in the chest.
The police had returned fire killing the three heavily-armed pirates who have been identified as ex-soldiers James Gibson and Cliff Chichester and Cranston Gill. The men had also attempted to escape but they were cornered.
The pirates had hijacked a fishing boat in the Mahaicony River on Wednesday and it apparently developed mecha-nical problems causing them to moor it at the Rose Hall shore and hide among thick bushes. The pirates had also held five fishermen hostage and eventually killed one of them, Hector Boodhoo, 57, whose nude body was found bound to a tree with cuts on his ear and the back of his neck. The PME proved that Boodhoo died from ligature strangulation.
The first fisherman who was held, Veerasammy Narinesammy, 61, had told this newspaper that one of the gunmen had left with Boodhoo to get his four brothers who were still in the water repairing their seines, to join them in the bush when the Coast Guard vessel arrived.
During a search along the river on Thursday, the Coast Guards had spotted the boat that was equipped with two engines and after fixing the engines, two men who appeared to be fishermen left with it.
The two other pirates had taken the fishermen deeper into the bush and they all watched as the men were fixing the boat. While this was taking place the pirates had their guns trained on the boats.
After the fishing boat left the pirates got angry and bound the fishermen together using straps from the guns as well as other pieces of string from their bags.
The pirate who had taken Boodhoo returned at around 4.30 pm and told his accomplices that he had a boat they could use. The boat they were referring to belonged to a fisherman, Bisham Moteelall, 51, who was at that point coming in with his catch.
One of the pirates told the fishermen to remain in the bush until he and the others had left and then free themselves. Around 5 pm they managed to free themselves and ran through the thick bush at top speed “without looking back.”
On their way out the met Motilall and his family and also checked to see if Boodhoo had reached home and when they discovered he had not, they returned with his family to search for him.
Moteelall’s wife, Chandrawattie and their daughter, Shaleza had gone to the shore to assist him when two of the pirates had ordered him to empty the boat. The other pirate held a gun over his wife and daughter.
Moteelall who knew that the tank did not have much gas and that the pirates could not get very far was scouring the area when he noticed them pulling in the boat at the Cromarty foreshore on Friday morning.
The police were contacted and they responded immediately. They have recovered two AK-47 rifles and one 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a quantity of ammunition including seven AK-47 magazines, 178 rounds 7.62 x 39 ammunition, fourteen 12-gauge cartridges and 28 rounds .30 ammunition, 17 round .40 ammunition, 6 rounds .45 ammunition, one round 9mm. ammo and an empty 12-gauge casing.
One of the AK-47 rifles has been identified as being one of those stolen from the Guyana Defence Force. Police also recovered a backpack, which contained the men’s belongings including a quantity of marijuana, clothing, toothbrushes, cell phone chargers, two SIM cards, a few tennis rolls in a packet and a bottle of all purpose oil; presumably used to clean the guns.
The police are continuing intense investigations in Berbice and Georgetown for possible linkages to the bandits.
