High profile People Progressive Party (PPP) member, Kwame McCoy was yesterday detained by the police and is currently in custody as the probe into the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing continues.
His arrest came after another of the party’s members, Jason Abdulla, Shawn Hinds and another man were taken into custody by ranks of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Monday in relation to the same matter.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum yesterday confirmed McCoy’s arrest. He said that ranks of the CID went to Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) yesterday to arrest McCoy but he was nowhere to be found. However, he later turned up at CID headquarters, Eve Leary and was detained.
On August 7 last year Regan Rodrigues, called ‘Grey Boy’ was charged with Crum-Ewing’s murder after ballistics tests carried out on an illegal .32-calibre gun found at Rodrigues’ Georgetown residence linked it to the murder scene. He was also charged with illegal possession of the gun and ammunition.
On January 11, he was freed of the gun and ammunition charges following a trial.
Rajput Narine, the ex-bodyguard of former attorney general Anil Nandlall was also taken into custody on August 7 last year and questioned but was released without being charged.
His lawyer had said that although police told Narine he was being arrested in connection with the Crum-Ewing investigation, while in police custody he was never questioned about it. There was, however, a confrontation between Narine and Rodrigues.
Nandlall denied that he was in any way connected to the murder of Crum-Ewing.
Crum-Ewing was shot dead on the evening of March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, where he was urging residents to vote against the incumbent PPP/C at the May 11 general elections. He was shot five times, including three times in the head.
For weeks prior to his death, he had held a one-man protest outside Nandlall’s office, calling for his resignation over controversial statements he made during a telephone conversation with a Kaieteur News reporter that was made public.
The PPP, in a statement issued following Abdulla’s arrest on Monday, had said that ranks of the Guyana Police Force took him into custody for unknown reasons. It said he was taken to the CID headquarters and was being moved around in suspicious fashion.
“A lawyer representing the interest of the employee was told by the police that the officers who arrested him had left the station and that no further information was available. The latest information is that he may have been taken to the Grove/Diamond Police station,” it further said.
The party added that police had attempted to arrest Abdulla at a recent picketing exercise in front the office of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission at Kingston but subsequently retreated.
“This development reinforces the suspicions of a carefully orchestrated diabolic plan by those in authority to target and harass people associated with the PPP,” the statement added.
