-suspect arrested
In a pre-dawn raid, bandits entered the yard of a Rosignol, West Bank Berbice businessman on Wednesday and stole his minibus and motorcycle and a suspect has since been taken into custody.
The suspect was arrested during a police roadblock at Mahaica around 5 am the same day and the orange-coloured Kawasaki KLR 650 motorcycle was recovered. Owner of the vehicles, Farouk Abdool told Stabroek News that he still has not heard about the silver-grey Master Ace minibus, PGG 4347. He said he was only aware that the vehicles were missing when he woke up around 4:30 am to perform his prayer. He said he made a report to the Blairmont Police Station while his brother, Fazim Abdool made a search around the village.
Abdool, who operates a gym at his home, said his brother had been servicing the motorcycle and had not finished fixing the lights and had also dismantled other parts. The gas was also low in the tank, he said.
Owning to that, he felt that the motorcycle could not go very far but apparently the suspect repaired it before reaching all the way to Mahaica. Reports are that the suspect was also found with tools belonging to Abdool. The tools had been in the minibus.
He said it appeared that the bandits pushed the vehicles out of the yard and then started them. He also later learnt from a security guard who works at a business place on the public road that the bandit who was driving the minibus was trying to pull the motorcycle to start it. The guard also told him that the man on the motorcycle told his accomplice to go ahead that he would come after. At the time, however, the guard did not realise that the men were bandits and that the vehicles were being stolen.
Abdool, a sign artist, said too that at the same time a resident was returning home from the airport and saw the vehicles and was wondering why they were on the road at that hour.
The businessman felt that someone who was familiar with his home and knew where he left his keys is responsible for the hijacking. It was raining heavily and Abdool believed that prevented him from hearing the bandits.
Meanwhile, as the bandit approached the police roadblock at Mahaica the man abandoned the motorcycle and attempted to walk past the officer when he was nabbed. Contacted, a senior police officer told this newspaper that the suspect is still in custody and is expected to face charges.
