-shotguns, masks found
A five-member gang, suspected of committing a spate of armed robberies during the last six months in Berbice, was arrested and a quantity of guns and masks were recovered by the police yesterday afternoon.
The gang, sources confirmed late last evening, had attacked fisherman Brijanand Carpen and his employee Lalchand Seepersaud at the Albion koker on Tuesday robbing them at gunpoint. While one of the attackers was assaulting Seepersaud with a gun the weapon went off and injured one of his accomplices.
Police in a press release last Wednesday said that at around 8.30 pm last Tuesday the five men, four of whom were armed with guns and cutlasses, robbed Carpen of a fishing boat, an engine and other articles at Albion Foreshore, Corentyne.
Acting on intelligence gathered during an “intense investigation into a spate of robberies conducted over the last six months”, sources reported last night, police were able to apprehend the injured member of the gang in a West Coast Berbice village on Saturday. The injured gang member was one of two persons arrested on Saturday afternoon.
The two men, according to sources, were taken to a police station on Saturday and questioned by police. It was based on the information gleaned from these men that police conducted raids on several houses in Tain, Corentyne and were able to recover a quantity of guns and ammunition.
Again, acting on information collected from the suspected gang members in custody, police were able to “dig up” a quantity of guns, ammunition and masks buried at the Port Mourant foreshore. Stabroek News was also informed that several other locations were searched by police yesterday as well and outboard engines, jewellery, stereo systems and other items suspected to have been stolen by the gang were recovered.
This newspaper understands that robbery victims will be invited to the police station sometime today to identify the suspected stolen items. Meanwhile, various charges will be levelled against the five men shortly.
“Following up on investigations into several robberies committed in Police ‘B’ Division, Berbice, diligent enquiries coupled with sound intelligence have led to the arrest of five suspects and [the recovery of] a cache of arms” at 2.30pm yesterday, police said in the press statement last evening.
Investigators, according to the release, “were taken to an area on the Port Mourant foreshore where one 12-gauge single barrel shotgun, three improvised 12-gauge shotguns and face masks were dug up and lodged in Police custody.” The release also confirmed that one of the suspects was shot in his leg last Tuesday during the robbery committed on the fishermen at Albion.
Further, the release said that raids conducted on several houses in Tain, Corentyne, led to the discovery of “one .32 revolver, three .32 rounds of ammunition, six 12-gauge cartridges and a quantity of .44mm pellets were found.” The release added that “Several persons are being sought as investigations are continuing.”
Stabroek News understands that the health of the injured gang member was “deteriorating” when police located him in the West Berbice village. The injured man is currently receiving medical attention.
