Two of the six suspects apprehended by the police at a roadblock along Grove Pubic Road on Tuesday, shortly after an attempted break-in at Supply, East Bank Demerara, have been positively identified as the perpetrators who carried out several recent armed robberies.
This is according to Crime Chief Paul Williams, who told Stabroek News yesterday that the two suspects were positively identified during identification parades.
Since the arrest of the men, investigators have been working to determine whether they were linked to any other criminal activities.
“This process is continuing because remember we caught these men with four guns, so we have to make the necessary checks,” Williams said.
The police yesterday sought and were granted an extension by the High Court to further detain the men for another 72-hours without charge.
The six were all arrested at a roadblock that was erected following a report that they attempted to rob Supply poultry farmer Micheal Chang Yuen, 69.
They were intercepted in a stolen car along the Grove Public Road.
The six men, who police say were caught with four guns, were identified as Steve Hercules, 30, a taxi driver of Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara; Nabadingi Gobin, 33, a trader of Charlotte Street, Georgetown; Renard Khan, 31, a fish vendor of Cooper Street, Albouys-town; Mark Prince, 39, a taxi driver, of Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara; Edward Skeete, 30, a trader of Independence Boulevard, Albouys-town and Marvin Blackman, 27, a fish vendor of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
On Tuesday, around 7.02 pm, the men allegedly attempted to rob Yuen as he and his family were in their house watching television by breaking the eastern door of the house with a sledge hammer. They however, escaped after the security alarm went off.
A report was subsequently made to the Grove Police Station and a road block was set up, which resulted in the interception of the men in the stolen car.
The police said they discovered two 9 mm Glock pistols, a Beretta pistol and a .32 Taurus pistol, a sledgehammer, two pairs of latex gloves, trade plates and a quantity of live rounds.
At least four of the six men have previously faced criminal charges and have either been freed or are out on bail.