Two youths were on Tuesday remanded to prison after facing a charge of stealing over $1.3 million in raw gold and cash from their former boss.
Kadeem Bailey, 19, of Lot 142 Shell Road, Kitty, Georgetown, and Malcom Payne, also 19, of Lot 210 Haslington Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara, were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who read to them a joint charge of break and enter and larceny.
It is alleged that on February 19th, at Uewang Backdam, Potaro River, they broke and entered the dwelling house of Kennard Dhanraj and stole 3 ounces, 14 pennyweight of raw gold, valued $1,162,000, a gold band, valued $30,000 and $123,000 in cash, which were all the property of Dhanraj.
Payne denied the allegation, while Bailey pleaded guilty “with explanation” and was granted a chance to tell the court his reason for committing the offence.
Bailey told the magistrate that he had been working as a miner with Dhanraj for three months but after an issue occurred and the man’s wife left the backdam, Kennard fired him and Payne and told them that they would have to wait until his wife returned to receive payment. Bailey said that after some weeks, he needed his money, so he approached his former boss and asked for his payment but the man continued saying that he had to wait for the return of his wife. The accused then said that Dhanraj pulled out a gun and pointed it at him, while threatening him. He said that some days after, the police told him of the allegation against him.
It is the police’s case that Bailey went to Dhanraj’s house and had a conversation with the man on the day in question. He then left and Dhanraj went to conduct business transactions at Wild Hog Backdam. The court heard that upon Dhanraj’s return to his house, he discovered that the western side of his house had been broken into and the items mentioned in the charge were missing.
The man then made a report at the Mahdia Police Station.
Bailey was arrested sometime after, during which time a search was conducted on him and the police found in his possession, $30,000 in cash, 7 pennyweights of gold and the gold band mentioned in the charge.
Asked by the magistrate whether the prosecutor’s facts were true, Bailey said that he did have the items on him but that the raw gold and band were his payment for the first month he worked with Dhanraj and that the money was what he received after selling the gold he unearthed while working.
After Bailey’s explanation, the magistrate changed his plea to not guilty and remanded both men to prison until their next hearing, which is scheduled for March 5th.
