After months of delay a cop was yesterday charged over the abduction of a man at the Giftland Mall parking lot in October and one of the suspected kidnappers was also captured after being on the run.
Delon Younge, a Lance Corporal attached to the Brickdam Police Station Traffic Department, was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony on Kevin Fiedtkou, the man who was abducted from the parking lot on October 10.
The police had come under pressure over the tardiness in charging two cops who were linked to the abduction. The cop appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Clive Nurse where the charge was read to him, and he pleaded not guilty.
He was placed on $40,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to February 25, for disclosure. Meanwhile, Commander of Regional Police Division 4 ‘A’, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean informed that the other rank linked to the kidnapping is slated to be charged under the Disciplinary Act for the unauthorised use of the Force’s vehicle. The commander noted that the date for the departmental charge has not yet been given as there is procedure that needs to be followed.
This delay of charges for the two cops had sparked concerns and questions regarding accountability within the force. On November 14, reporters were told that the men were to be charged.
Also, the commander confirmed yesterday that the suspect, Okeemo Arak Brummell, for whom a wanted bulletin was issued by the police on October 16, was captured yesterday morning. McBean added that the two other men who were involved with the abduction are still unidentified and as such, investigations are still ongoing in relation to their identity.
Brummell, 29, of Bel Air Springs, Georgetown, was wanted by police in connection with the October 10 abduction and extortion of Fiedtkou. Brummell is alleged to have been one of three men posing as members of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU).
Based on the CCTV footage, Brummell was identified as one of the individuals involved in taking Fiedtkou to his Providence home, where he was forced to hand over $9.5 million in cash.
Fiedtkou reported that at approximately 12:30 pm on October 10, three men forcibly detained him in the mall’s compound, then transported him to his home at Providence, East Bank Demerara. There, he handed over $9.5 million in cash and his network video recorder. He was not physically harmed.
The men returned the following day in a police vehicle, demanding more money. Fiedtkou complied by handing over additional loose cash before they left.
Fiedtkou, who also owns a small sand truck business, explained that he had the cash on hand due to his business operations. Following the incident, he carefully considered where to report the matter and subsequently filed a complaint. He and his family remain deeply traumatised by the experience.
At the end of December, Fiedtkou had expressed frustration that his abductors were still on the loose.
“Those police walking freely enjoying life, even have the car they did the abduction with as if nothing happened.” The clearly disappointed man added that “Justice seems like a farfetched something, it is definitely wrong here and I’m staying away from that station as that’s the station the two police worked at where I have to go to inquire about the progress of the case.”
Fiedtkou also said that things are not and will never be the same for him and his family, but expressed optimism that justice will one day be served.
“Against all odds I’m still hoping for justice”, he said. When asked if he feels free to leave his home now, Fiedtkou explained that he is not able to leave his home as he is supposed to and since the incident, life isn’t the same for him. Nevertheless, he said, “I still have a family to feed and bills to pay, I cannot afford to be affected that much, that I’m not able to provide for my family… I explained to my former employers I’ve invested years working with that company and I cannot afford security as it’s too expensive nor would I trust to leave my family as my place of work was miles into the interior… I’ve resigned from my workplace, at least until these people are caught… and even then, leaving my family is always a risk”, he said.