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Man’s handcuffed, bound body found on Soesdyke/Linden highway trail
-victim reportedly abducted by gunmen dressed as policemen
Wodette Roberts’ body at Dora
Gunmen dressed as policemen snatched a 23-year-old Kuru Kururu man from a pickup shortly after midnight yesterday then left his handcuffed and bound body in a trail at Dora, some 400 meters east of the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.
Two other passengers were also abducted and tied by the gunmen near Loo Creek on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, but managed to flee after freeing themselves.
But by then the gunmen had fled with the pick-up the abductees had been driving earlier.
Police later recovered the body of 22-year-old Wodette Roberts, called ‘Buckman’, of Lot 221 Kuru Kururu around 10:30 hrs yesterday from a clump of bushes, after scouring the area for his corpse.
Roberts’s arms were handcuffed behind his back and his legs were bound with duct-tape.
Reports indicate that he died from suffocation.
Police believe that the same gunmen, who had reportedly trailed the men in two cars, used the stolen pickup while going on a rampage around Georgetown early yesterday morning, riddling the Brickdam Police Station and the East Ruimveldt Police Outpost with bullets.
The gold-coloured Tacoma pickup, GLL 7171, has still not been found.
Police identified the two surviving passengers as Sean Embleton, 25, and Roopchand Gopaul, 47, both of Kuru Kururu.
Police were still questioning them up to late yesterday afternoon.
Carmelita Roberts, the slain man’s mother, said that she last saw her son alive around10:00 hrs on Tuesday.
She explained that her son works in the interior and that he informed her that he was returning to
the interior on Friday.
However, he apparently had a change of plans and was travelling with Sean Embleton and Roopchand Gopaul to a mining area known as ‘Frenchman’ when the attack occurred.
A police statement said that the men were travelling on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway near Loo Creek around 00:15 hrs yesterday when a white Toyota wagon and a silver-grey car overtook their vehicle.
It added that one of the men in the back seat of the wagon signaled with a red triangular reflector, similar to those used by the police, for them to stop.
About eight men dressed in black clothing resembling police uniforms and carrying firearms and wearing bullet-proof vests, one of which was marked ‘Police’, exited the vehicles.
According to Police Commissioner Henry Greene, the men were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and shotguns.
The release said that the men then identified themselves as policemen and said that they were searching for arms and ammunition.
“During that time a grey Carina motor car with two persons dressed in civilian clothing came up and spoke to the men in uniform and left in the direction of Dora.
“The armed men handcuffed the three men, placed them in the back of the Tacoma pick-up and then drove off in the three vehicles.
They turned off the Highway at Dora and about one hundred yards off they took out the three men and tied them up with duct tape and placed them in different locations.”
The police also said that the men were handcuffed.
When Wodette Roberts’s body was found he was still wearing a silver-coloured pair of handcuffs. His feet were also bound with duct tape.
Wodette’s mother told Kaieteur News that one of the survivors also alleged that the gunmen asked for “the gold and diamonds” and assaulted them.
Police said that as the victims lay on the ground, one of the gunmen discharged a round at Sean Embleton but missed.
“The armed men then drove away in the vehicles. Embleton later managed to free himself and found that Wodette Roberts called ‘Buckman’ had died. Apparently duct tape was placed over his mouth and nostrils, with his hands handcuffed behind his back. It is suspected that he had suffocated.”
Embleton then went to a home at Long Creek from where he made a report to the police at Timehri Police Station.
Later, about 9:05h. Roopchand Gopaul, who had managed to escape, also reported the incident to the Kuru Kururu Police Outpost.
“Two empty twelve gauge casings were found by the police at the scene.”
Wodette’s mother said that Roopchand later told her that he had collapsed after the gunmen had beaten him.
She said that Roopchand alleged that the gunmen then said “Lef he, we gun go and ‘doctor’ the other two.”
Roopchand then managed to unfasten the duct tape and escape.
Carmelita Rogers said that around 09:30 hrs yesterday she received a call from someone informing her that her son had died.
Relatives subsequently identified the body after it was brought to the city.
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