Mere hours after retired Professor Pariedeau Mars was discovered dead in his Prashad Nagar home on Thursday evening, six teenagers, including two girls, were arrested and a quantity of items stolen from him was recovered.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed the arrests of six suspects, who he said are between the ages of 15 to 18 years old.
They were arrested at their individual homes based on information received from members of the public. They are from addresses in Campbellville Housing Scheme, ‘D’ Field and ‘C’ Field Sophia and South Turkeyen, all areas in Georgetown.
Blanhum said five of the suspects allegedly carried out the attack, while the sixth individual received the stolen property. They have since provided investigators with detail statements, which indicate their involvement in the crime, he added.
Mars, called “Perry,” 75, 365 Bissessar Avenue, Prashad Nagar, was found in his home around 6.30pm on Thursday with his hands and feet duct taped and injuries to his head. The house was ransacked and a number of articles and cash were missing.
Stabroek News was told that the discovery was made by Mars’s wife on her return home from Linden. Based on information gathered, the woman had last heard from him around 2pm on Thursday.
Less than two hours later, she tried calling him back but got answer. It was when she returned home around 6pm on Thursday that she noticed the southern back door open. As a result, she went to the study in the house, where she made the discovery.
Mars was rushed to St Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he died while receiving medical attention.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that one of the female suspects, who is 17 years old, was known to have frequented Mars’s residence and she allegedly let the others into the house. At one point in time, she used to live next door to Mars and one of the male suspects is reported to be her boyfriend.
This newspaper understands that the female suspect informed her boyfriend that she was going to Mars’s house and that he would be at home alone. The boyfriend allegedly told her that it was a good opportunity to rob Mars. The boyfriend then contacted his friends and they met at a house in ‘C’ Field, Sophia where they reportedly hatched the plan, before walking over to Mars’s house.
The female suspect was reportedly the first to enter the house and she allegedly assaulted Mars, injuring him about the body. At this point, the other suspects, who were waiting outside the premises, entered and duct taped Mars. They then reportedly joined in continuously beating him, while they ransacked the house and carted off a quantity of items.
Among the items recovered by the police are a sum of cash, a laptop computer, an iPhone and a PlayStation, the police said in a statement.
The six suspects then went to the health centre in ‘C’ Field, Sophia where they split the loot.
