Two confess to kidnapping/murder - to be charge shortly

Two confess to kidnapping/murder – to be charge shortly

Apr 15, 2014 News

Investigators probing the kidnapping and subsequent murder of businessman Rajendra Singh, have reportedly made a huge breakthrough in the case and are preparing to charge at least three persons.

Rajendra Singh

Reliable sources close to the investigation have informed this newspaper that at least two of the persons who are being held in connection with the incident buckled under intense interrogation and provided detectives with vital information.
Kaieteur News understands that one of the persons in custody is a prime suspect in Singh’s kidnapping.
But although he was not picked out yesterday from an identification line up, police still believe that they have enough evidence to charge at least three persons.
“We have phone records and at least two of them have implicated themselves,” a top police investigator told Kaieteur News.
Police say they are looking for another Albouystown resident who they were told was one of the two men who snatched the businessman from his business place at Foulis Public Road, East Coast Demerara, two Saturdays ago.
Late last night investigators were busy preparing a report on the matter which is to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice, prior to the institution of charges.
A senior police official suggested that the state might try to use one of the persons in custody as a witness against his accomplices. However, “we will have to charge him though, because you never know he might renege on any deal.”
Police had disclosed that up to Sunday, six persons were in custody.
Investigators are almost convinced that Singh’s kidnapping was orchestrated by one of his employees, two of whom are in custody assisting with the probe.
This newspaper was told that the plan to extort money from Singh was hatched after he reportedly benefitted from the proceeds of a huge property deal.
“We believe that the kidnappers were targeting that money,” the source said.
After hours of negotiating, while keeping investigators guessing, the kidnappers apparently became impatient and killed Singh, dumping his body in Le Repentir Cemetery.
Police in a press statement, denied receiving any information that the kidnapped businessman was being held in a Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara house.
This followed an article in the Sunday Edition of the Stabroek News which quoted a source stating that the police had been informed that the kidnapped car dealer was being held captive in an abandoned house at Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara, but ranks only visited the location hours later when he had been removed by his kidnappers.
The police in their statement said that ranks acted professionally and promptly with respect to the information provided from the time Singh was kidnapped to present.
“We documented all the phone calls so we have proof to substantiate that we acted responsibly,” a senior police official said, adding that the police don’t believe that the kidnapped businessman was held captive on the East Coast of Demerara.
He said that the kidnappers were very innovative, since the police had difficulty narrowing down their monitored telephone calls to any specific area.
“Most of the calls (from the kidnappers) were from cell sites in Georgetown. At one time we even got one from Vreed en Hoop and we searched the whole of Plastic City,” the official stated.