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Vandals caught on camera damaging vehicles as family feud escalates
An escalating family feud between two Canadian-based Guyanese brothers is threatening to get ugly and once again the police are being blamed for allowing the situation to spiral out of control.
The latest saga in the ongoing battle has seen the destruction of a few unregistered sports utility vehicles and threats to commit murder.
Surveillance camera captures one of the hooligans damaging Gafoor’s vehicles.
Abdool Gafoor, one of the parties in the feud, told Kaieteur News that he is fearful for his life as well as that of his wife, since he is convinced that the damage to his vehicles was perpetrated by his bitter rival.
The businessman claimed that on Tuesday night his rival attacked him with a piece of wood, inflicting damage to his head and other parts of his body.
And as if that was not enough, a group of men who Gafoor believes was hired, barged into his yard and proceeded to break the windscreens and windows of two Toyota Tundras and a Toyota Tacoma leaving damage costing more than $2M.
But in a twist to the drama, the other party is alleging that one of his vehicles was also vandalized and produced the evidence of a badly damaged minibus.
Gafoor owns the Reeaz Auto Mart at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara. This is situated on a portion of family land, alongside that of his brother Ramzan Gafoor.
The feud apparently began way back in 2009, when his business, along with several unregistered vehicles was destroyed. Although he suspected that it was the work of a relative, no one was held responsible by the police.
“I came back to Guyana leaving my relatives in Canada to establish a business, working hard,” he told this newspaper.
Just when Gafoor thought that he had seen the last of the attacks on his business, Tuesday night turned out to be a nightmare.
But according to Gafoor, trouble was brewing a few weeks ago when the relative with whom he is having a family dispute came into Guyana. He explained that he is currently engaged in a High Court battle with the relative over a piece of property.
Gafoor stated that he began receiving death threats, and the surveillance cameras which he had established around his premises, were deliberately damaged, in apparent preparation for what would eventually follow.
The businessman said that he reported these matters to the police and invited them to come to his property to see the damage, all to no avail.
All the while he continued to receive death threats from the relative in question.
He said that on Tuesday he had a physical confrontation with the relative during which he sustained injuries.
It was while he was receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital that thugs barged into his yard damaged his vehicles even as his wife stood watching helplessly.
One of the damaged vehicles.
However, she managed to take photographs of the persons breaking the windows of the vehicles.
“When my wife saw them coming, she turned to them and said, ‘I know y’all’,” Gafoor stated, adding that this led to his relative turning back and running out of the yard to avoid his photograph being taken.
“One of the guys with him, covered his face and proceeded to break up three of my vehicles to the value of $2M,” Gafoor explained.
He said that he subsequently reported the matter to the police at the Vigilance Police Station, and this time around, ranks visited the scene.
Late yesterday afternoon, the relative in question was in police custody assisting with the investigations.
“My wife was upstairs in the verandah when she saw these guys in my yard, breaking my vehicles and she called to the station but there was no rescue,” Gafoor stated.
Gafoor told this newspaper that he is disappointed with the way his matter was treated by the police. This police \ inaction is causing it to escalate to this extent.
“The previous arson, nobody has been charged, the matter just disappeared,” Gafoor stated, adding that the relative had assaulted his wife with a gun and the Guyana Police Force has never charged him with that offence.
“Mr. Bharrat came to Canada and invite Guyanese to come. But what he didn’t tell them is ‘when you come here, you will go back to Canada with no money or maybe you will lose your life’,” Gafoor declared.
“Right now, me and my wife are thinking about leaving and going back to ‘my country’. I had to go and buy dogs and security cameras for my own protection. The Guyana police force is weak,” a bitter Gafoor told Kaieteur News.
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