-GRA officers lodge weapons with police
Three Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) officers yesterday lodged their firearms and had their hands swabbed for gunshot residue as the police launched an investigation into the shooting of a 36-year-old alleged chicken smuggler at Enmore seawall, East Coast Demerara on Saturday night.
A release from the police named the shot man as Naresh Ramjattan, of Greenfield, East Coast Demerara. who remains hospitalized and is said to be in a stable condition nursing two gunshot wounds.
Stabroek News had reported that an alleged smuggler was shot by officers of GRA after they came under gunfire.
However, while the police statement said yesterday that the officers’ guns were taken and they gave statements it did not indicate whether they said they fired their weapons.
According to the release Ramjattan claimed that he was standing on a boat when suddenly he heard several loud explosions and felt he was shot in his leg and shoulder.
It was further stated that around 07:05 hrs on Sunday police arrested Ganesh Ramcharran, called Brian, a 22-year-old porter of Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara, who was caught hiding in a clump of bushes along the seawall at Enmore, East Coast Demerara.
He was questioned about his purpose at the seawalls, and he claimed that he was there to catch crabs. Subsequently, he admitted that he was hired by people from Bee Hive to fetch chicken from a boat and put it onto buses. He was arrested and taken to the Cove and John Police Station.
He was placed in custody and is assisting with the ongoing investigation. Police yesterday said as well they are in search of other persons and that no firearms were recovered.
