Remigrant loses vehicle to carjackers, calls for justice

Jul 23, 2015 News

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A 39-year-old remigrant is counting his losses and hoping for justice after a frightening experience in which he was left watching helplessly as two gun-toting bandits drove away with his brand new Toyota Spacio a few days ago.
The man, who now operates a taxi, is peeved with the police whom he claims failed to bring the perpetrator to justice, despite having had him in custody. The East Bank Essequibo housing scheme resident is, in fact, fearful for his life since one of his robbers was taken into custody but let loose by the police in spite of a successful identification parade.  He is still repaying a loan he took to acquire the vehicle.
The taxi driver said that he recalled last Friday as if it was yesterday. He said as he was making his way to Georgetown around 22:10 hours, he was stopped in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, East Bank Demerara by a young man who solicited a lift to South Ruimveldt.
As they drove into Greenheart Street, the “passenger” reportedly asked to be taken to the “end of the street.” When he finally came to a stop, however, another man approached the driver’s side and pushed himself through the open window.
Before he realised what was happening, the driver said that the stranger placed a gun to his side and told him to get out his vehicle. The taxi driver said the gun-toting stranger instructed that he place his hands in the air. As he stood there helplessly, the man emptied his pockets.
What the 39-year-old recalled as bizarre, however, was that his “passenger” sat quietly in the car even when the gun-toting bandit hopped in the vehicle.  The 39-year-old recalled being told to “shut up. Turn around and walk away!” Together, the two drove away leaving him stranded.
The taxi driver has not seen his car, a Toyota Spacio with registration number HC4463, since. Distraught and desperate for help, the man said that he walked towards Aubrey Barker Road, where he noticed groups of people.
Luckily, he met a patron who allowed him a call to the police. Thirty minutes later, the cops had not shown but the taxi driver noticed a jeep load of patrol cops nearby and approached them for assistance.
He said at first he was met with doubtful response, since the lawmen claimed they had been “circling the block but had heard nothing.” They, however, took him to the East La Penitence Police Station where he lodged a report of the incident and was told to return the following morning.
The next day at 08:00 hours, the taxi driver arrived at the said station and as he walked in, he noticed the “passenger” sitting on the bench. “As I walked in, the first person I noticed was the guy I picked up on the bench. When I looked at him, he just looked away,” the victim recounted.
As he sat waiting to be called up by a detective, he encountered another who claimed that he too had been robbed by the same man. He said suspicion raised its head when he met with a police detective (name given) who asked him what he noticed when he came in.
According to the victim, he told the detective “The guy that robbed me is sitting right there” to which the lawman reportedly responded “I didn’t want you to come in this way. I wanted to do an identification parade.”
He said after further statements were taken, and a confrontation was held between him and the passenger, he left with the assurance that the man detained would be charged with two counts of robbery: for him as well as the other driver robbed.
On Sunday, last, he was called in to the Brickdam Police Station to provide a statement on the confrontation held between him and the alleged perpetrator. He said again that he asked what direction the case will be taken and he was informed that the man was still in custody at the East La Penitence Police Station and will be heading to court this week.
Having heard nothing further for two days, the 39-year-old said he called the detective by telephone on Tuesday but this time was told that the man was still in custody and that the file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
Thinking nothing of it, the man left and later ventured to the office of his insurance company to inform them of what had happened with the vehicle. They reportedly demanded he provide copies of the police statements in order to make claims.
He said again he contacted the police but “the guy freaked out on me. He said that he can’t since the DPP has to advise on it.”
The shock came for the victim, however, when he called at the East La Penitence Police Station yesterday and inquired for the “passenger.” He said that he was informed that the man had been released since Saturday and further, that station only facilitated female prisoners.
“I couldn’t have believed it. If he is not there but (name provided) claims he is in custody and the file is with the DPP, something is definitely going on here. Right now, I am a little scared if they are going to come after me because I saw them,” the man said.
He said that during the process, he learnt that the man is a Trinidad national who came here to work with a large city gold company. “He is a Trini, by now he could even be out of the country.”
The man is calling for the intervention of the relevant authorities.

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