The police yesterday said that three suspected ban-dits were killed at Black Bush Polder on Sunday after opening `rapid fire’ and that weapons, live ammunition, bulletproof vests and jewellery were retrieved from the scene.
The Corentyne community had been the scene of a string of attacks in recent days and the police had come under pressure to act.
Residents in Black Bush Polder yesterday told Sta-broek News that one of the three suspected bandits killed on Sunday afternoon in Johanna was actually hiding out at his accomplice’s house, two streets away from where police caught up with them.
The bodies of three men, Kelvin Shivgobin, also known as “Kelly”, 32, of Belvedere Village, Corentyne; Ramnarine Jagmohan, also known as “Andrew”, 33, of Toopoo/ Albion, Corentyne; and Sewchand Seelall, also known as “Pappie”, 52, of Lot 82 Johanna North, Black Bush Polder, are presently at Ramoo Funeral Parlour in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, awaiting autopsies scheduled to be conducted today.
According to a police source, the men sustained gunshot injuries about their bodies.
While relatives through the media received information that the men were shot and killed, they are yet to officially identify the bodies. Relatives of Seelall and Jagmohan stated yesterday that they had visited the parlour to identify the bodies but were told to return today.
The Guyana Police Force, in a press statement just after midnight yesterday, said that acting on information received, strange persons were seen in the backlands of the Johanna area. “A team of police ranks under the command of a Senior Officer proceeded to the said area about 3.35 pm on Sunday and whilst searching came under rapid gunfire; they immediately took up tactical positions and returned fire in the general direction from where the gunshots were coming,” the release related.
According to the force, the exchange lasted for about five minutes and after it subsided, the ranks combed the area and three males were found motionless with suspected gunshot injuries.
They were transported to the Port Mourant Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival by the doctor in charge.
Additionally, a pistol, two revolvers, an AR-15 rifle, three magazines, 253 rounds of live ammunition and seven spent shells were found at the scene in close proximity to the men.
Notably, an AR- 15 rifle was used to carry out a robbery committed on the Z-One Chinese Supermarket, located at Lot 16 B Albion Front, Corentyne, around 9.15 pm two Saturdays ago. In that robbery, the bandits stole $250,000 in cash and one cellphone. However, before escaping, the bandits opened fire on ranks attached to the Albion Police Station, who had arrived at the scene in their patrol vehicle.
Furthermore, it was noted in the press statement, that the ranks found three haversacks containing the following items: two yellow metal chains, four yellow metal earrings, two yellow metal rings, two silver bands, a yellow metal band, a silver pendant, $609,330 Guyana currency and two foreign currency notes, two bulletproof vests and five cellphones. In addition to that, a solar charger, torch lights, crowbar, knife, cutlass, flash drive, leggings with eye holes, topes, masks, duct tape, gloves and 200 grammes of cannabis were also discovered.
Shivgobin was wanted by the police in relation to the double murder committed on Bushlot brothers, Premcharran and Harricharran Samaroo, who were shot during a robbery at their mother’s house on December 31, last year.
Fled to Suriname
Police earlier in the year had received information that Shivgobin had initially fled to Suriname and returned to Bushlot, Corentyne, where he was hiding out in a friend’s house. However, he was never found.
Stabroek News attempted to make contact with his relatives yesterday but was unable to locate them as there was no one present at the house where they reside.
However, according to residents in Black Bush Polder, it is now believed that Shivgobin, a wanted man, was actually hiding out at Seelall’s house.
According to a resident, who requested to remain anonymous, Seelall would never put on the lights in his house, giving the impression that he was possibly hiding out someone at home. This, the resident said, was confirmed on Sunday afternoon, after he was killed in the company of the wanted man. “Them does put zinc around the bottom house and he never put on one light. When he dead today, last night them put on light and take out the zinc,” he related.
According to the resident, since the Bushlot double murder, “He (Seelall) a deh here but we na see he. Me na know if he thought police a look for he, sometime he a wear he wife clothes and deh in the garden so that people na know is he. As soon as you see am he a run in the backdoor, wah he a hide for?” the resident questioned.
“Me hear all a them been deh in the same house. People tell police and them come one/two time, we see when the police come but them na get them. When them get the zinc before police get in…the bottomhouse them a jump and hide,” another resident said.
According to residents, from Seelall’s house it is possible to reach the spot through the backlands where the men were shot.
Seelall’s daughter-in-law, Devika Singh, explained yesterday that the last she saw her father-in-law home was on Saturday tending to his garden around 10 am.
According to her, on Sunday afternoon they heard that three persons had been shot and killed in the backlands. Noting that they have not yet officially identified the body, they claimed that they were told by persons who saw the man’s body that it was Seelall, a father of two.
She said the family had no idea what the man was allegedly involved in but also wished that he was not killed. “Them should a arrest them and na shoot them,” she said. “Them can’t just shoot he and say he do the robbery, them na catch am or see he,” another relative added.
Seelall had been remanded in 2015 for robbery under arms but was later released.
On Saturday evening, Indrawattie Dhanraj, 44, of Lot 157 Mibicuri South, Black Bush Polder, a cleaner at the polder’s village office and part-time rice farmer, sustained injuries to her back, belly and other parts of her body, as bandits dealt her several lashes during a robbery.
The bandits carted off a total of $200,000 worth in cash and jewellery. The woman had told Stabroek News that, “One a them cuss and say me and me neighbours na talk, wah me a holla fa, who go come”.
The woman had also acknowledged to Stabroek News that she is not on terms with several persons residing in her street, further confirming the fact that at least one bandit may be known to the area.
However, yesterday this newspaper learnt that a close relative of Seelall’s resides through the woman’s street and that the relative was one of the persons the woman was not on terms with.
Meanwhile, relatives of Jagmohan, also known as “Jaggie”, said that they were shocked to find out through the media that he had been shot and killed.
Ramnarine Jagmohan and another brother, Neshan Jagmohan, 27, of Hampshire Squatting Area, Corentyne, were in prison on a murder charge.
In October, 2013, the Jagmohans were charged with the murder of businessman Devindra Deodat, also known as “Dave”, which took place during an armed robbery.
Ramnarine was released on March 14, after the matter was dismissed in the High Court in Berbice.
His mother, Pamela Jagmohan, explained that after returning from prison, he stayed two weeks with her at their Lot 592 Toopoo, Corentyne home. “But the police a come run down am steady so he been a work a (Number) 19 and then he tell me `mommy say me a gone’, he gone till a 40 something (Corentyne) go work. One time he a come weekend and he a gone and all the way when he a talk to me, he a tell me that he a work,” she related.
The woman said he told her that he was farming in the area.
According to the woman, the last time she spoke to her son, the father of a three-year-old, was on Sunday around 1 pm, when he phoned her. “Me say, boy wah you a do? And he say, ‘Mommy me just done work and me a eat lil bit food’, so me hope say he deh far say police na go hunt am down. Me na know nothing wah he a do, he just a fool me,” she stated.
Straight life
While the woman noted that she had spoken to her son several times and encouraged him to live a straight life or harm may come his way, she said she still wished that he was not killed.
“If them been find am them should been arrest he, me na get one problem. If you do wrong thing them police get them duty fah do but them na should a shoot am, arrest them and carry them a station,” she opined.
She stressed that after returning from prison, her son promised her that he would be a changed man. She said he told her that he would attempt to get a passport to fly to Trinidad and start a new life.
The woman recalled that another son of hers, Neshan Jagmohan, 28, was murdered in prison.
In June, 2017, Neshan Jagmohan and Ramnarine Jagmohan were ambushed in prison by a gang of three men. Neshan Jagmohan later succumbed to his injuries at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital.
At the time of the prison brawl, another one of her sons, Tameshwar Jagmohan, was also in prison. He was charged jointly with several others in the Black Bush triple murder in 2016.
Initially, reports had emerged that it was Kelvin Shivgobin, Ramnarine and Tameshwar Jagmohan who were killed, but this was not the case, as Tameshwar is still in prison awaiting trial on the triple murder charge.
