Latest update February 10th, 2025 5:23 AM
Greenwich Park Pharmacist charged with obtaining money by false pretence
Daughter allegedly abuses, damages police property
A father and daughter from Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) have been charged in relation to a matter of obtaining money by false pretence.
The two appeared before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
According to the charge read by Magistrate Liverpool, between August 4 and August 8, last, Arnold Gajraj, 56, a pharmacist of Lot 7 Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo, obtained $750,000 from Hemchand John by pretending that he was in a position to have John’s relatives, Hempersaud John and Chitra John, released from police custody.
The monies were reportedly handed over to Gajraj at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara.
However while the man‘s daughter, Shaleeza Gajraj, was not charged for obtaining money by false pretence, she too faced charges stemming from the incident.
Shaleeza Gajraj is charged with malicious damage to property, abusive language and resisting arrest with intent to avoid lawful detention.
She is alleged to have verbally abused ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) from Eve Leary and damaged a police officer’s shirt after ranks visited their residence to arrest her father. The woman is said to have also resisted police arrest in the process.
Both Gajraj and his daughter pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared briefly before the court, yesterday.
According to information obtained by Kaieteur News, the older Gajraj had promised the virtual complainant (Hemchand John) that he had the capability of getting the man’s relatives out of police custody in the United States.
John’s relatives were reportedly caught with a stolen computer and other items.
The man is said to have made arrangement with the defendant to pay him some $1.5 million to have his relatives released from the custody.
He had allegedly handed over $750,000 to Gajraj when he realised that he had been tricked.
John subsequently lodged a complaint with the CID at Eve Leary. Gajraj was later arrested but before the ranks could apprehend him, his daughter purportedly intervened.
She is said to have verbally abused the officers.
The woman allegedly damaged a police officer’s shirt after the ranks proceeded to arrest her for the verbal abuse.
However, following the court hearing yesterday, Gajraj contended that it was the police who detained his daughter unlawfully with the intent to use her as a ransom, since he was not home at the time that the police came to the house.
“They dragged her out of the house because they could not get to me,” the man claimed.
He is currently on $150,000 bail while his daughter was placed on $30,000 bail. The two are scheduled to reappear at the Leonora Magistrate’s court on September 26 for a continuation of the matter.
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