Three youths, charged with a violent robbery and suspected of being involved in other recent attacks, were remanded to prison last Friday.
Daniel McArthur, Shawn Inniss and K. Harris, all 18, were each charged in a city court with robbing Ethan Mootoo of two cellphones, valued at a total of $298,000, on October 17th, 2019, at Camp Street, Georgetown.
It was also alleged that some time either immediately before or after the robbery took place, they used violence toward Mootoo.
All three denied the charge.
McArthur was also charged with stealing from another person on October 11th, 2019, at North Road. The separate charge alleged that he stole a handbag, with $2,000 cash and a cellphone, with the total amount of the stolen articles being given as $72,500. He also denied the charge.
Police prosecutor Sanj Singh told the court that the three men were positively identified by Mootoo after a report was made and they were arrested. He added that they used an icepick to stab Mootoo in the left shoulder.
In relation to the separate charge against McArthur, the prosecutor told the court that it was evidence of a trend and he voiced his fear that the three youths would continue to commit such attacks if released on bail.
Senior Magistrate Leron Daly remanded the young men to prison and adjourned the matter until November 29th.
The trio are suspected to be part of a gang that has been operating in the Stabroek Market area.
The police last Friday said that they were also wanted for questioning in relation to several robberies committed recently outside of the Providence Stadium during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches.
Police spokesman Jairam Ramlakhan, in a press release, said that over the previous there was an increase in the police presence in and around the Stabroek Market area and during that time more than 100 persons were arrested in relation to several crimes. A number of them, he added, had since been charged.
Two unlicensed firearms, ammunition and narcotics were also found.
The release explained that the operation is part of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) efforts to reduce crime.
“In the best interest of society, the GPF aims to stop problems before they occur by reducing the opportunities for crime and by deterring people from becoming involved in anti-social and criminal behaviour, and welcome all digital content in assisting with prosecution and prevention,” the release further said.
The force, according to the release, aims to target the communities at an early stage and work with the young generation in order to lead them into the right direction.
To make this possible, the statement added that the public plays a vital role. “Public support is needed to receive the information required for preventing and solving issues surrounding crime,” the release added.
