Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh granted five men their pre-trial freedom in the sum of $75,000 each when they appeared before him at the Albion Court yesterday charged with larceny of animals.
The men: Vijay Ragnauth, 19, Avinash Gornauth, 19, and Hemchand John, 22, of Success, East Coast Demerara along with Vijay Bashraj, 21, and Ganesh Sookdeo, 19, of Le Ressouvenir are accused of stealing five goats belonging to Lloyd Sahadeo on Saturday July 12.
Attorney-at-law, Charrandas Persaud who made an appearance for the men made a successful application for bail. The defendants were ordered to return to court on July 24 at Weldaad.
Reports are that they were arrested around 2 pm close to a police roadblock at Weldaad following a chase after being caught red-handed in the act.
The men had reportedly placed the goats valued $120,000 in the trunk of a tinted AT212 Toyota Carina car, PRR 3791 that they had rented.
A member of the West Berbice Sheep & Goat Association (WBS&GA) had told this newspaper that he passed the car close to where the goats grazed at Profit and became suspicious.
Two of the men were sitting in the backseat of the car with the doors open and they were on their cell phones.
He immediately contacted Sahadeo who headed to the scene. As he approached, the men sped off and he gave chase. The car then made an about turn but by then the Weldaad Police Station had already been contacted and had set up a roadblock.
When the men realized that they were cornered they stopped the car before the roadblock and started to run. Angry residents joined the police in chasing and catching the men.
Members of the WBS&GA were disappointed that the car was released and that the goats have been “left at the station to suffer.” The owner was told that he has to wait on the next court date.
