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Wheelchair-bound mechanic wants police to infiltrate criminal gangs
….says family, employees living in fear
Mr. Rohan Doodnauth
By Leon Suseran
Rohan Doodnauth is perhaps Guyana’s only wheelchair-bound engineer, and his machine shop has come under attack by gunmen on at least two occasions.
The most recent attack on the man’s Number 11 Village, Corentyne premises has left his family and workers traumatized. As a result he was forced to install two large electrical lamps in his backyard to illuminate the area.
During the last attack one robber accidentally shot another, while he was attempting to kill Dodnauth’s wife Premwattie.
The three-man gang was forced to leave without their wounded partner and most of the loot after residents responded to Mrs. Doodnauth’s screams. The bandit, later named as Avinash Rambazad, called “Pandit”, 20, a labourer of Adelphi Village, East Canje, Berbice, died at the New Amsterdam Hospital that same evening.
Rambazad has been described as a known character and is part of a notorious gang in the area.
During a recent visit to Mr. Doodnauth’s home, he stated that the June 8th incident has left him, his wife and his young employees in a state of shock.
“Where in this world would you find a wheelchair- bound man trying to make a living and bandits would come with long guns to rob him…and nobody does nothing?”
Doodnauth is of the view that the police have a “fair idea” where the gangs that perpetrate these robberies are located.
“If you get the army and joint patrols, you know, and flush out these people. We can’t live in fear all this time. Look at what happened at Albion.”
The lights that Doodnauth recently erected around his business.
He was referring to the recent attack on an Albion family on Thursday night by three masked gunmen.
The veteran engineer stated that the incident has forced him to erect lights around his machine shop, which has been in existence for more than 20 years.
“You put up lights, you lock up early— you frighten, you tremble— your workers dem are left traumatized. I believe the police are collecting information and so on, but like that’s not enough— they have got to know where these boys are,” he argued.
“Every God day somebody getting robbed….”
Doodnauth is calling on the police and army to infiltrate the criminal gangs which consist of very young men in the Berbice area.
“Corentyne, Albion— get joint patrols and run them (the criminals) through.”
He believes that the police can do more, especially since, ‘they know that these things (robberies) happen a lot between six and eight ‘o clock. You don’t see the police during that time— they should drive through the area— get undercover cops and so, infiltrate them (the bandits).”
Also of concern to the man, are the numerous rum shops along the Number 19 Public Road which serve as a hangout spot for several young men, who drink alcohol way into the wee hours of morning.
“These chaps drinking rum until one, two in the morning. Sometimes you don’t know who— what are they drinking rum so late for? After the rum- drinking, you don’t know what they are engaged in.”
Doodnauth stated that he is not so concerned about the losses after the robberies, but the trauma left behind as a result of the attacks by the bandits. “That is bigger than the losses— the tramautizing and fear that you have to live with.”
There is a police IMPACT Base at Lewis Manor, not too far from Doodnauth’s mechanic shop and he stated that they would conduct a few patrols every now and again.
“But like you want the army with these men too, to put fear into these men so they cannot do what they want and how they want!”
Speaking about lights along the Number 19 Public Road, which has been a contentious issue from ever since, Doodnauth said that he and a few others “went personally (over a year now) and begged the Minister (Robeson Benn). We formed a delegation and begged and begged and he said he ain’t really in charge of that but he will do his best; nothing ain’t happen after that.”
“You get the feeling as if nobody cares! You, the citizen deh pon you own! Where in the world would something like this happen and nobody cares? The Commander (Brian Joseph) came and sympathized but that is the most he can do at a policy level, they have to make decisions!”
To date, the police have not been able to capture the two accomplices that fled the scene that night when the Doodnauths were attacked.
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