Arifa Lisa, the girlfriend of the Dutch Bottle Café robbery suspect who died after being found unconscious in the Brickdam lock-ups, has raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Kelvin Poonsammy, 22, of Lot 12 Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, Georgetown, allegedly invaded the North Road, Bourda restaurant on October 7 in the company of two others and robbed Manager, Renata Chuck-a-Sang, of a laptop and a cell phone. His two accomplices managed to escape with the items while Poonsammy was held because of the resistance put up by the female manager.
Poonsammy’s girlfriend, Arifa Lisa, told Stabroek News on Tuesday that she found it strange that the man was discharged from the hospital following the beating if it was so severe as to cause him to subsequently die. He later succumbed at the Georgetown Public Hospital, after being found in the lock-ups.
“They say he get beat at de place, fine. I ain’t arguing that but he woulda get admit to the hospital if he condition de so bad,” the woman stated.
Lisa went on to say that she strongly believes that Poonsammy was brutalized while in the police lock-ups and it was not the beating he had received on the night of the alleged robbery that caused his death. “But he [Poonsammy] done pay for he sins,” she said.
She added, “Right now is me alone standing up for him. Not anybody else. Not even his family got time.”
The restaurant’s employees had previously told this newspaper that Poonsammy was the only one of the three perpetrators who was armed, and had held a waiter at gunpoint as he demanded cash, before later gun-butting Chuck-a-Sang several times in the head. The man was subsequently beaten, allegedly by taxi drivers and guards of nearby businesses, after customers and staff members alerted the public with their loud screams.
When contacted, GPH’s Public Relations Officer, Alero Proctor, stated that she would not have information on the injuries Poonsammy was treated for at the hospital nor would she be able to say how severe his condition was. Also, she pointed out, request for medical records can only be granted after a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital. She said it is usually a long process.
Police had said that a post-mortem examination had found that Poonsammy died as a result of perforation of the lungs and blunt trauma to the head. Police also indicated that while being questioned by investigators, Poonsammy confessed to being involved in several other armed robberies that had all been committed by a three-man gang, one of whom was armed with a gun.
