Three months after La Bonne Intention (LBI) resident Kallicharran Sawak succumbed to injuries he allegedly sustained while in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station lock-up, three men, including two Venezuelan nationals, have been charged with his murder.
Luis Alfredo Vasquez Gonzalez, 23, a labourer of Venezuela, Jose Eulice Lezama Manoeiro, 24, a labourer also of Venezuela, and Heeralall Girdhari, 26, a speed boat captain of Eteringbang, Cuyuni River are accused of murdering Sawak between January 17th and January 28th at Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara.
The charge was read yesterday by Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. However, only Gonzalez, who the police had said was the second-in-command of a notorious ‘Sindicato’ gang, was present.
He was charged with having a hand grenade in his possession when the police intercepted a boat in January at Mode Hole, Cuyuni River. Manoeiro and Girdhari were charged with the illegal possession of firearm and ammunition. Manoeiro was charged with the illegal possession of four live 7.62 x 51 rounds of ammunition and a live 7.62 x 39 round, which were allegedly found in his possession on January 17th at Eteringbang Landing.
All three had been in custody along with Sawak in the Sparendaam Police Station lock-up. Manoeiro and Girdhari were subsequently released after securing bail in the High Court. The police have since launched a search to locate both of them.
The matter was adjourned until May 8th.
Sawak, 39, called ‘Danny,’ of Lot 3 LBI, succumbed on January 28th to the injuries he sustained.
He was taken into police custody on January 17th after he was misbehaving while he was drunk and was being held until his court hearing.
It was while waiting for his case to be called that his family learnt that he was hospitalised in a critical condition.
The father of one remained unconscious up to the time of his death.
Sawak’s sister, Shivani, had been told that he was hospitalised after he sustained injuries that were self-inflicted. “We don’t know what happen, but we need answers… nobody can give account for what happened while he was at the station,” the distraught sister had lamented.
From visits to the hospital, she had said, they learnt that Sawak was bleeding from his eyes and ears and there was swelling in his brain.
In late January, Commissioner of Police Leslie James, when asked for an update on the matter, had told the media an impartial investigation was ongoing into Sawak’s death and at the conclusion, necessary actions would be taken.
