Robbery/murder of Multiplex Mall owner… Ramlall bought beers for gang member minutes before being killed – Eyewitness

Jul 17, 2015 News

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More evidence has emerged that one of the men who has been held in the terror gang-related investigations is not just a taxi driver, but a career criminal who has been involved in a number of other criminal enterprises.

Lennox Roberts called ‘Soldier Man’ was held on Tuesday after he was implicated by fellow taxi driver, Fazeel Bacchus called Javed, the reported mastermind of the attack on the robbery which led to the murder of businessman Ganesh Ramlall called ‘Boyo’ at his home in La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara, two Sundays ago.

As interrogation intensifies, both men are opening up about each other’s role in the attack.

But investigators are focusing on Roberts’ past criminal links, which they believe will shed some light on his character.

“For example, what kind of man would sit down and drink your beers knowing that he and his cohorts plan to attack? That is the same man who say that ‘Boyo’ is a good man who does bless dem up every time he see dem,” said a source who organized the barbeque at Cornelia Ida where Ramlall spent some of the last minutes of his life.

Roberts, along with others, was arrested by police following an armed robbery on a Chinese restaurant at Cornelia Ida in 2012. That matter was dismissed. He was also held following a heist on a city electronic store a few months ago, in which thieves carted off millions of dollars in cellular phones and other items.

Kaieteur News understands that he was held while trying to sell some of the stolen phones.

Roberts reportedly told police that he had been given the phones to sell and had even taken them to a house where they were able to recover several other phones that were stolen in the heist.

But to date for some strange reason he has not been charged.

There are also reports that he was the driver of a security vehicle that was held up a few years ago on the East Bank of Demerara while transporting cash for a major business enterprise.

Roberts was at that Cornelia Ida barbeque and had imbibed in drinks purchased by the Regent Multiplex Mall Owner.

He had earlier told investigators that he had objected to the plan that was hatched by Bacchus to rob Ramlall, but he subsequently went along with it.

The source said that on the night that Ramlall was killed, he saw when Bacchus came to the barbeque venue and immediately spoke into his cell phone. He was calling Roberts who subsequently joined him in the car.

The source said that he did not see when Ramlall left the barbeque but a few minutes later he heard via telephone that he had been shot at his home.

The man said he left his wife to continue operating the bar at the event along with another associate, and went to confirm the news he had just received.

The associate, who is familiar with both men, told investigators that after Bacchus picked up Roberts they left and went further up the West Coast before “passing back with speed, heading towards La Jalousie”.

He said that he saw when Ramlall left the event about 10 minutes later.

A few minutes after that he too received news that Ramlall had been shot.

The police subsequently went to the barbeque, ordered the music turned off and took away the disc jockey for questioning.

The associate said that just as he was about to pack up, Bacchus drove up and dropped off Roberts who had left his car there and they both drove off.

It was then he noticed that Bacchus had lost the bumper at the back of his car.

He told detectives that he knew something fishy had occurred, but did not link the men’s actions to the news he had received of Ramlall’s death.

Both accounts matched what Bacchus told detectives in his confession.

Bacchus, 21, had confessed to transporting the gunmen who killed Ramlall.

He said he was aided by another taxi driver, who he identified as Lennox Roberts, called ‘Soldier Man.’

Bacchus reportedly told police that on the night of the attack on Ramlall, he was at a city night club, but was in constant telephone contact with ‘Soldier Man’, who was at the barbeque at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, which businessman Ramlall had also attended.

He said that ‘Soldier Man’ kept him informed via telephone about Ramlall’s movements.

Bacchus said that he was instructed to pick up some men, one from “Buddys” and the two others at Agricola. He took the men to La Jalousie where he dropped them off near Ramlall’s home. He then went to Cornelia Ida where he picked up ‘Soldier Man’, from a barbeque, while Ramlall was still there. They then headed back to La Jalousie where their accomplices were waiting.

The bandits concealed themselves in a bushy empty lot next to Ramlall’s home, while they waited for him to arrive. The men had reportedly walked with lengths of rope to bind their victim.

One resident claimed that he saw four men making their way towards Ramlall’s house with the aid of a flashlight, but did not take it for anything serious.

Ramlall eventually arrived, left his vehicle outside, entered the bottom flat, spoke to his wife, and then went back outside to use an outdoor washroom. When he came outside, the men attacked him, and riddled him with bullets when he raised an alarm and fought back. They then fled with some of his jewellery.

The taxi driver said he heard the gunshots and the bandits breathlessly jumped into his car and ordered him to drive.

He said he drove along the rough La Jalousie ‘line top’ and emerged at Crane Public Road. He then headed back over the Demerara Harbour Bridge, where he dropped off the killers, two in Agricola and another at Diamond, before returning with ‘Soldier Man’ to the West Coast Demerara barbeque venue.

Bacchus said he dropped off ‘Soldier Man’ and he went home.

The two were arrested the day after police raided a house at Craig and killed the gang’s ringleader; Rolston Morrison called ‘Saddam’, wounded a gang member, Warren McKenzie, and arrested seven others.

Bacchus and Roberts confessed that the attack on Regent Multiplex owner, Ganesh Ramlall, called Boyo, was hatched two months ago. While they have not provided investigators with the names of the bandits they transported, they gave some details of the plan to attack Ramlall.

“After they came up with the plan, they had to get people to execute it. So they contacted Saddam (Rolston Morrison) who was killed on Tuesday and his crew,” a police source told this newspaper.

The plan was not to kill but to rob and if they did not get enough money from Ramlall, they were to kidnap him and demand a hefty ransom.

“They were to tie him up in the house and relieve him of everything,” the source said.

Police have since secured permission to keep all the suspects in custody after the mandatory 72 hours expired.

Charges are definitely likely by early next week.

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