Two men were yesterday charged with fraudulently changing the chassis number of a stolen car and pawning it.
Farmer and car dealer Hardatt Roop, 35, of Lot 6 CC Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and body work mechanic Chris Gowkarran, 37, of 1A Busby Dam, Craig denied the charges when they were read to them at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The men were placed on $100,000 bail each by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, who presided over their arraignment.
It is alleged that they committed the crime between December 25, 2012 and January 13, 2013, at Eccles.
Prosecutor Vernette Pindar told the court that complainant Eversley Austin, who had earlier loaned the car PNN 8461 to his son, later discovered it missing when he made checks at his premises.
She said it was later learnt that the car had been pawned to Chris Auto Sales by Gowkarran, who had also allegedly changed the vehicle’s chassis number.
Attorney Peter Hugh requested reasonable bail for his clients, noting that they had already paid $100,000 station bail each.
He added that Gowkarran had been shot in the neck and elbow with a taser gun during his arrest. The magistrate subsequently set bail at $100,000 for each man and
transferred the case to the Providence Magistrate’s Court, where it will be called on July 11.
