Less than an hour after landing in Guyana, a priest and a brother, along with their Guyanese host, were robbed by men in police uniforms and now the three men of God are pleading for the return of important documents that were stolen.
Father Alex Perez, the head of the Formation Center in Guyana, told Stabroek News that when he pulled over his vehicle early Sunday morning around 2:30am, he had never expected such an ordeal to follow. “Naturally I stopped because they were officers,” he said. “They said it was a routine check and asked us to get out of the vehicle,” he added.
Perez had been making his way from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri after picking up a fellow priest from Nicaragua and a brother from the US when his vehicle was pulled over by men dressed in police uniforms. The “officers” had also been waving lit traffic batons.
Sensing nothing amiss, the men got out of the vehicle and allowed one of the “officers” to enter it and drive it off the side of the road. Perez and his company were soon robbed of all of their belongings including their money, green cards, and passports. The car, however, was not taken.
They were then forced to walk well into the “backdam,” where they were made to lie on the ground before being threatened with murder. However, their pleas saved their lives and the attackers went away, leaving the men behind.
“It was shocking and surprising because I would never expect this because these men were dressed as police,” Perez said.
He went on to say that they did not put up a fight due to the guns held by their assailants. “We just saw the worse thing happening to us,” he added.
The men sought help at a home in the Friendship Squatting Area and a call was placed to 911. However, that attempt was futile. A call was eventually made to the Grove Police Station and police soon arrived in the area, Perez said.
He further said that the police met them at their vehicle and, fortunately, the car keys were found in nearby bushes. The robbed men followed the police to the station in Perez’s vehicle and they made a report of the incident.
According to the priest, the police have called them several times and have been giving them updates on their investigation. “We are still waiting; the main thing is that we need back our passports,” Perez said.
The priests and brother are pleading with the robbers or anyone who may find their green cards and passports to return the documents to them.
The visiting priest and brother were scheduled to stay in Guyana for two months before returning to the US.
Crime Chief Leslie James could not be reached for comment on the investigation.
