A Brazilian miner was shot dead during an early morning attack yesterday by an armed gang on a mining “dragger” in the Essequibo River near Omai.
Police yesterday said that unconfirmed information had identified the dead man as 46-year-old Antonio Dos Santos.
Police said in a press release that they were investigating a report that between 1am and 4am yesterday, a number of men armed with firearms boarded the “dragger” and held up workers. The workers who were attacked, the release said, comprised five Brazilian nationals, including a woman, and two Guyanese men.
The gunmen demanded gold and cash. According to the press release the victims were tied up and assaulted, during which the Brazilian man was shot dead.
The police said that investigators have been dispatched to the scene and that no other information was available.
Stabroek News was told that the police will be taking the body to Linden.
It is unclear whether the gunmen escaped with any valuables. A miner from that area told Stabroek News via cellular phone that the details of what transpired are sketchy. He said that robbers often target Brazilian nationals. He said that they would usually pull up along their “dragger” and pretend as if their vessel was out of fuel. The bandits would then pounce at the opportune moment.
The miner also told Stabroek News that often the Brazilians try to fend off their attackers. He said that in this case the information is that shots were fired at the bandits.
According to the miner, often it is persons who are in the area who provide the bandits with information.
He said that in this case whoever steered the boat out to the “dragger” had to have some knowledge of the Potaro/Siparuni area. He said that having committed the robbery, the boat would have returned to the bank from where the occupants would have boarded a waiting vehicle.
The closest police station is at Mabura.
