A businessman was on Friday remanded to prison by a city magistrate on charges that he had an illegal pistol and ammunition.
Naipaul Basdeoram, 25, of Lot 3 Good Hope Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, was charged with having possession of a .380 pistol without a licence as well as possession of nine live rounds of matching ammunition on July 15, while not being a licensed firearm holder.
Basdeoram was represented by attorney Dexter Todd, who stated that when the police officers arrived at the Railway Embankment location to conduct a search, his client asked them to give a reason or produce a search warrant.
The lawyer said that the police thought Basdeoram was being disrespectful, which led to him being arrested and taken to the Vigilance Police Station, where he was later notified of the firearm and ammunition discovery.
In the attorney’s plea for bail, he made it known that his client was not the only occupant of the house and that he had no previous charges or convictions.
Prosecutor Nevil Jeffers, however, objected to bail and said that when officers searched the home, Basdeoram was present and the firearm and ammunition were found in his bedroom.
He indicated that when the discovery was made, Basdeoram told the officers that it belonged to a friend. Jeffers noted that the officers contacted the friend, who denied the allegation.
After hearing the submissions, Magistrate Ann McLennan denied bail and transferred the matter to the Vigilance Magistrates’ Court for July 24th.
