Two relatives of a missing 75-year-old Rose Hall Town, Corentyne man were arrested on Wednesday in connection with his disappearance.
Percival Johnson, also known as ‘Percy,’ of Lot 36 B Sir David Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, went missing on April 13th, 2015.
However, on Wednesday police took his grandson and his grandson’s wife into custody based on a report from another relative. Attempts to contact ‘B’ Division Commander Lyndon Alves for a comment were unsuccessful but a high ranking police source in the division confirmed that the two persons were in custody for questioning as part of the investigation.
Another grandson, Terry Roopnarine, 26, told Stabroek News that his brother, who has been arrested, resided with his wife in the lower flat of his grandfather’s house, while his grandfather had resided in the upper flat. “Me grandfather take care of he but when he get big and, so, me grandfather use to ask he to pay bill and so he don’t want help the man and so,” Roopnarine said.
Roopnarine, who now occupies Johnson’s former quarters in the upper flat of the house, said his brother told him several different stories in relation to the man’s disappearance. “One time he say the man ride, gone New Amsterdam and never come back. One time he say the man gone backdam to look after cattle and me know me grandfather don’t mind cattle. Another time he say me grandfather go market and never come back,” he explained.
Roopnarine, who is an Albion Estate cane harvester, said after taking up residence in the house he discovered that his brother had some $900,000 at home, which instantly made him suspicious. “I ask he wife and she say she husband save the money, then one next time she tell me that them find it in me grandfather room one week after he missing,” he said.
Roopnarine said his sister-in-law, who is also in police custody, told him that she was present when the money was taken from his grandfather room. She reportedly told investigators that she and her husband withdrew the money from a joint account which they had with the grandfather.
Roopnarine, who noted that his grandfather’s jewellery is also missing, related that he had also noticed that his brother, who is also a cane harvester like him, started to spend lavishly. His brother, he related, would hire a special driver to take him to run errands and purchased expensive musical equipment, which seemed odd.
Roopnarine said he put up signs as part of the efforts to locate his grandfather, while his brother told him that a report was made to the police. He, however, added that after reconnecting the telephone in his grandfather’s house, he was contacted by a relative, who said she wanted to go to the police but was scared to go. “I tell she me deh pon the house now, nobody can’t do she nothing and she come and we went to the police,” he related.
Meanwhile, a relative told Stabroek News that there had been suspicions that a body matching Johnson’s description was discovered at the Hampshire Burial Ground sometime in 2015. This publication was told that a pair of shoes and a bicycle, which matched items belonging to Johnson, were also discovered next to the body with a piece of wood.
