City Businesswoman slams police over alleged foot-dragging on $1M fraud case

Aug 22, 2013 News

A city businesswoman cheated out of over $1M says she is frustrated and tired of being pushed around by the police who are tasked with addressing her dilemma.
Sharmila Persaud, who operates Sharmila’s Lumber Dealers at Water Street, Werk-en-Rust, was robbed of $1,039,000 in late March, when a customer purchasing a number of lumber products, paid with a cheque from a bank account that went dormant since early 2000.

The useless cheque used to pay for lumber and the notice of the disabled bank account

Despite fulfilling the groundwork and providing the account holder’s information from the bank to the police, Persaud claims that ranks of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) working on the matter are refusing to make earnest moves toward investigating the fraud and taking the necessary criminal action against the “well connected” conspirators.
Persaud explained that the named fraudster used the last Easter Holidays to make the purchase, knowing that the bank would not be able to verify the cheque during the long holiday weekend.
She said on March 31 last, the customer, calling himself Hemraj Bhagwandin entered her establishment and requested a quantity of lumber.
The man paid with a Bank of Nova Scotia cheque which she Persaud planned to deposit into her account. The businesswoman explained that on April 2nd last, she deposited the cheque, only to receive from the Bank of Nova Scotia a few days later, a notice stating that the account on which the cheque was drawn had been closed for several years.
Persaud said she made all initial checks to ascertain information about the account holder. It was then she learnt that the name on the cheque was false and the customer was not who he claimed to be.
More checks later led her to a popular city boxing club. All the information gathered was taken to the CID and handed over she told this newspaper. Sometime later, four individuals associated with the bank account were arrested.
That, however, is as far as the police have gone, Persaud fumed.
While the four men arrested are out on station bail, the woman said that police ranks continuously told her, “Your word is not good enough; we have to get more evidence”, whenever she asked them about the progress of the matter.
Persaud is however oblivious to what more is needed when, “everything the police said they will do, they have not yet fulfilled. They said they would have an identification parade, I went, nothing happened. They told me to come back another time; when I went they said I just missed the officer in charge, I must come back. When I go back the next time, they say he is not available and that is how they have me up and down, up and down.”
Persaud argued further that at present, the Officer-in-Charge of her matter is on vacation leave and absolutely nothing is happening with her matter.
“I don’t know who I got to ask or who I got to go to for help. I just keep trying and every time, it’s like hitting a brick wall,” the woman told Kaieteur News.

7 thoughts on “City Businesswoman slams police over alleged foot-dragging on $1M fraud case”

Daboss August 22, 2013 at 8:12 am

Typical police behavior. No one cares in this country. Police, thief and politicians alike in Guyana are all the same. I’m so sick and fed up of this country. Ramotar has been in power close to two years and yet he has done absolutely nothing for the development of this country. This country was built on corruption and we as a nation will always suffer, definitely not the politicians.
ken August 22, 2013 at 11:14 am

Ms. Persaud your case has all the signs of a complete misunderstanding of how our system of justice works. This
push around is only for you to be frustrated enough to want to part with your hard earn cash in the form of a bribe. They call it the oil that allows the engine to function without friction. You have three options really, I noticed that you’ve already taken the least friendly one – report them to the media and shame them
into doing their jobs- for this though you would be hated.

The second option is to pay your way… don’t worry with the small man he might take a small amount then run into roadblock with his superiors… find a big one and pay handsomely and the
wheels of justice will turn in your favor. Take this course if you are prepared to take it every time you have dealings with the police and they’ll love you. Service with a smile, always!

The third and most potent is to know someone in higher controlling office and have them call the commissioner
and threaten to kick him out of office if your justice is not served…

His boots will in turn grow sharp spikes and his dormant legs will start kicking other rears in a bid to save his own. Justice for you would then become a career saving choice. For this you would be feared. Servitude and respect would be your reward and the law will apply to you as much as it applies to Kill-o-Man-Lall on a night of drunken driving… gun shooting… poor man battering adventure.
Really, its that’s simple to get justice in here… I cant see what all the fret is about.

After all “THIS IS GUYANA”!
1. Cotton_Candy August 24, 2013 at 12:03 am
  
  You are a great blogger………….
2. JUAN GABRIEL August 24, 2013 at 4:57 am
  
  Ken you have me rolling around at 5 in the morning. You are so casual, especially when outlining the 3rd option. THIS IS SO TRUE. YOU ARE ON THE BUTTON. I trust that she is successful in here quest.
besmart August 22, 2013 at 1:15 pm

The reason why the police is applying this delayed action is because they are waiting to see which party is going to offer more bribe money..it is called police playing the money game.
Dunce_man August 22, 2013 at 2:20 pm

These business people are another set of dunce (more than me).

How you gon give somebody over a million dollar in items when they giving you a cheque during the holidays?
He didn’t know he had to get the lumber before the holiday, and he didn’t had proper identification, phone number etc.
Did she take the number of the truck and license number of the driver etc?
These are things that should have been done considering the amount that is involved.

Its quite unfortunate, but this lady need some licks for business stupidity.

You only take these sort of risks with people you have been doing business with repeatedly.

The police would indeed be in a tight spot if she is not providing adequate information, and the banks decide not to co-operate.

This is simply a case of “cow mumma dead, pickney cry, and carrion crow laugh”.
Cotton_Candy August 24, 2013 at 12:13 am

Hello Ms. Persaud remember that you are living in a country that changed its name from Guyana to Corruption!!!!! You cannot get help by the foolice department unless you PAY-UP or may be sleep with a few of them, sorry to say it this way but its the truth.

BRIBE AND MORE BRIBE SO LET CALL IT BRIBERY.
If it walks like a duck, it quack slike a duck then its a DUCK..
Our country has not shown any DEVELOPMENT in the two years since the new Fresident got into power. He is not willing to share a meeting with our government regarding the MONEY LAUNDERING that is happening in Guyana but they want us to help them with aid when they need help.

I do not want my hard-earn tax dollars going to my country of birth to help aid crime by the politicians and the Foolice department.