Latest update January 7th, 2025 3:42 AM
Kalamadeen kidnap/murder…
Three ‘suspects’ released
After two horrible days of being locked up at the Brickdam Police Station, the three farmers who were detained for questioning into the Farouk Kalamadeen kidnapping and subsequent murder have been released. The three men, Keith Williams, 45, Carl De Cambra 63, and John Monize, 61, were released from Police custody at around 13:15 hours yesterday.
The men, all of whom are farmers, were picked up by Police ranks on Friday last at around 6:30 hours while attending to a farm some four miles aback the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Relating their plight, the men said they felt that their rights were completely violated. According to Williams, on Friday morning, he and the others were about to prepare breakfast in their camp on the farm when several Police ranks appeared.
Pic: Keith Williams, Carl De Cambra and John Monize, who were detained for questioning into the Farouk Kalamadeen kidnapping/murder
“When de Police come they tell we dem want search the farm, so we had to go with them. All de time dem searching dem ain’t tell we nothing,” Williams recalled. He added that one of the ranks, during the search on the farm, ordered him to pick a cabbage and cut it open. The farmers are of the opinion that this was done under the pretext of searching for drugs. “After I cut open the cabbage and dem ain’t find nothing, dem tell we we got to go with dem to Eve Leary. We ask them if we can’t call we boss before we go, because we didn’t want left de farm unattended,” the men related.
After being escorted to the Criminal Investigation Headquarters at Eve Leary, they related, they were told that they are being detained for questioning into the Farouk Kalamadeen kidnapping and murder.
“When we went to Eve Leary, dem put we fuh tek out picture, and at de bottom of de picture dem had “murder” marked. Dat is embarrassing, we didn’t mind dem tek out we picture, but they brand we as murderers.” the men lamented. The two elderly men said that in all their lives they have never had any ‘run ins’ with the law, and they found it rather embarrassing to be incarcerated for such a long period and for such a high profile case.
The men further related that even though they were detained at the Police headquarters for several hours, they were not given a phone call despite pleading with the ranks there to contact their boss or their respective families.
“It was till 11:00 that them carry we over to the Brickdam Station, and we keep asking fuh a phone call and dem keep telling we “no,” so I decide to use me cell phone, and dem tek away me cell phone,” Monize recalled. According to Monize, the rank who took away his cellular phone then related to their boss that they were at the Brickdam Police Station for questioning into the Farouk Kalamadeen kidnapping and subsequent murder. The men related that statements were then taken from them.
“Dem ask we if we know Farouk Kalamadeen and we tell dem only from reading about he in de newspaper, and dem ask we if we ever see anybody strange on de farm and we tell dem that de farm got nine dogs and if any stranger come on de farm we would know,” the men related. “Dem ain’t know wha dem doing! Look at we, we done old, we could kill da man?” the two elder men questioned.
The men added that, throughout their incarceration, they were not allowed any visitors.
In addition, the men’s employer, Robert Francis, said he is very upset over the fact that his employers were detained for so long without the Police having proper evidence.
“The Police could have simply picked them up, questioned them and asked them to come back to the station, instead of keeping them so long and then just releasing them without bail,” Francis opined. “I have contacted a lawyer and I will be advised on the way forward,” Francis added. In the meantime, the Police are maintaining that it is routine for Police to detain persons for questioning in any case once they are in receipt of information.
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