The police have recovered two more bodies, which are yet to be identified, from the Piari Landing robbery boat mishap, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud confirmed today.
According to Persaud, the two bodies, which are yet to be identified, were discovered late last night. He added that persons in the area who viewed the bodies did not recognize either of the two as being one of the residents, but it is yet to be confirmed whether they are bandits.
Meanwhile, the two bodies recovered yesterday afternoon by police have been positively identified, one as a bandit by one of his colleagues in custody, and the other by residents in the area as the man who was forced by bandits to man the boat.
Persaud said that police are still in pursuit of four bandits, who are still at large, while three are in custody.
He said that it would appear as though more than eight men carried out the robbery on Sunday at Piari.
Police had said in a press release yesterday that during the robbery that occurred around 7 pm on Sunday, when eight men armed with handguns stormed Piari Landing, Puruni; fired shots indiscriminately and wounded the three Brazilians in the process. Millions of dollars were stolen in the raid.
According to the police as the men approached, a number of shop owners and other persons fled into the bushes, but eight persons were however robbed of cash, raw gold and jewellery, and three of them were shot and injured. The perpetrators, police said, attempted to escape in a boat that they had stolen from Piari Landing.
The police stated that “Brazilian shopkeeper Joao De Freitas Mattos was shot to his right leg and robbed of $60,000 and; Brazilian shopkeeper Benedito Dourado Oliveira, 56 was shot to his right hip and robbed of $500,000 and a quantity of raw gold; Brazilian Francisco Da Cruz Morias, 44, was shot to his right thigh and left foot and robbed of $140,000; Brazilian Joao Da Conceicao, 56, was robbed of $30,000; Brazilian Mario Odessa Da Silva was robbed of jewellery and $500,000; Curtis Barnett, 34, was robbed of $110,000 and a cell phone”. All were treated at the Bartica Hospital, but Oliviera was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital. Two others; David Coates and Carlton Small, who were both beaten about the body, were treated at the Bartica Hospital and sent away.
The release said that two men, who claimed that they were abducted and held hostage by the armed men as they were escaping, have been found by the police and are assisting with the investigations. A number of spent shells of varying calibres have been recovered by the police.
