Police are investigating the death of a homeless man, who is suspected to have been mauled by pit bulls, which have been linked to attacks on two men at Para Field, Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD), early yesterday morning.
Up to press time last night, the dead man was unidentified.
However, the injured were identified as Ramanand Bhikam, 62, of Stewartville Housing Scheme, WCD, and Wilbert Adams, of Cornelia Ida, WCD, who were attacked between 3am and 5am.
Police have since arrested one person.
Stabroek News was told that police are yet to arrest the owner of the dogs.
Acting Commander of ‘D’ Division Leslie James yesterday told Stabroek News that ranks are trying to arrest the owner and take the dogs into custody.
Stabroek News yesterday observed ranks in the vicinity of the crime scene on the lookout for the woman. The woman, according to neighbours, has not showed her face since the attacks.
A resident, Kaminie (only name given), recalled that around 6am she was about to open her shop when she saw a large crowd in front of her premises where the dead man was found. The woman said when she enquired, she was told of the discovery and summoned the police. She added that the dead man, who was semi-nude, had multiple wounds about his blood-stained body.
Kaminie noted that the man slept under a tree in an open space adjacent to her home. She suspected the man may have been attacked by the dogs after she discovered her pet sheep were attacked.
The woman said she heard the sheep bleating loudly around 4am and upon checking she saw the dogs attacking them. She said she picked up a piece of wood and threw it at the dogs in an effort to free the sheep.
She stated that she did not hear any screams for help from the now deceased man. She added that he was found with his face down and she opined that because of the position in which he was found, he was unable to sound any alarm.
Kaminie stated that she also called the owner, whom she identified as “Marcie,” yesterday morning after the discovery and reported what happened. However, she said the woman did not respond and stayed quiet during her complaint. The neighbour said it was after her call that the dogs were tied in their cages.
Meanwhile, one of the men who was attacked, Bhikam, a security guard, told Stabroek News that he managed to escape with minor injuries after he armed himself with a cutlass and fended off the dogs. Bhikam said he was heading home around 5.05 am when he was attacked at the head of Para Field Street. “I deh riding and I didn’t see them and them na bark, nothing. Then come one here! One here! [demonstrating how he was attacked] and I pull out the cutlass from my bicycle and start fire chops and they run away,” he said.
He was first attacked by one dog while on his bicycle but after the other two dogs joined, he threw down his bicycle and continued to fight them off.
Subsequent to being attacked, Bhikam said he called out to the owner and he noticed someone “peeping on the window” but his calls went unanswered. “Meh said ayo na answer, me going to the police and make another report,” he recounted.
At the station, he explained, he saw Adams, who is an employee of the Guyana Sugar Corpora-tion’s Uitvlugt Estate. He was reportedly attacked while on his way to work around 3am.
He recalled seeing Adams with bandages around one of his feet. Adams, he said, was circled and had to use a piece of wood he pulled out from a fence nearby to shield himself from suffering further injuries.
Neighbours said it was not the first time the dogs have attacked persons or animals. One man explained that the dogs attempted to attack a school child but he was in the area and chased them away. He also noted that the dogs attacked three of his sheep and when he reported it to the owner, the issue was ignored.
According to the neighbours, the dogs would escape from under the gate and roam the streets.
