Close to two weeks after Kwame Bhagwandin reportedly died at the hands of vigilantes, the Guyana Police Force remains mum on the investigation.
Contacted yesterday for a comment, Region Six Comman-der Boodnarine Persaud yesterday restated that ranks from his division only responded to the attack since they were physically closer to the scene than the area with jurisdiction. He explained that Kimbia, where the attack occurred falls under Region 10.
Region 10 Commander Hugh Winter, however, told this newspaper that he will have to make checks on the status of the investigation and could not comment when contacted.
Bhagwandin, 39, a resident of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam succumbed two Saturdays ago after he was beaten by residents of Kimbia, Berbice River who suspected that he was involved in a robbery which had occurred in the community the day before.
An autopsy later showed that he died as a result of multiple injuries and ruled that it was a homicide.
According to the deceased’s mother Donna Liddle, Police only contacted her to witness the autopsy and took a statement from her after.
She stated that she has not followed up on the investigation nor have the police reached out to provide any information to her.
“Well I just waiting to bury him on Thursday and give the police space to do their investigations. I hope when I go for answers they will be able to give me…but we haven’t heard nothing nothing nothing from the police since that day they come call me to go [witness] the post mortem,” Liddle related to Stabroek News.
Reports had revealed that Bhagwandin was detained by villagers during a search in the aftermath of a brutal robbery on a family that operates a boating business in the Berbice River.
The home of the Gladstone family was invaded last Friday night by a gang of men who ransacked the upper flat and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash and jewellery. The brothers are boat captains who operate a service on the Berbice River.
Rayon Gladstone had told Stabroek News that the invasion occurred at approximately 11.30 pm and lasted for an estimated two hours.
He said that he had opened his door to turn off their generator before retiring to bed but as he was about to do that he saw two men walking in the yard and he called out to them.
The bandits eventually managed to kick open the front door of the house. They immediately demanded cash and jewellery, Rayon said and started to ransack the home.
According to him, the men managed to gain entry to the room and started to beat them while asking for money and jewellery.
Rayon said he was tied up with wire and a belt during the ordeal. He was later freed by his wife.
He told this newspaper that even after they told the men on several occasions that they did not have more money they continued asking. “One of them come and jump on my back and chopped me on by back and in my head before leaving me in the room…while they were ransacking the house I try to lose out myself…”, he recounted.
Ryan stated that sometime after he realized the commotion in the living quarters had died down and it was at that point he released himself from the shackles and went to seek help.
He noted that as the news spread across the community residents came out and joined the search for the perpetrators. During the course of the morning, Rayon said he along with his wife and brother went to the community health centre for medical attention.
He stated that with the commotion distracting him from his sleep, he got up and saw that the villagers had a man tied up. At the same time, he said the police were also on the scene.
Bhagwandin was one of four inmates disfigured in an attack at the New Amsterdam Prison on May 23, 2014. On that day, four inmates of the New Amsterdam Prison had to be hospitalized after they were brutally attacked by what is believed to be a six-member gang who doused them with acid and chopped them about their bodies.
Bhagwandin had faced a series of charges for armed robbery in the Berbice courts and is well-known to the police.
