Superbet shop-owners to sue after cop caught planting evidence in yard

Jul 30, 2019 News

The proprietors of a SuperBet business in Reliance, East Canje are looking to sue the police after a CID rank attached to the Reliance Police Station was caught on CCTV footage planting evidence in their yard two Saturday’s ago.

The SuperBet location

Maria Pardesi and her husband, Hemraj ‘Prem’ Pardesi, told Kaieteur News that they are currently looking to employ the services of an attorney to sue the force.
Their actions are coming hot on the heels of an incident where the CID Constable in the company of a uniformed police rank without a name tag entered their premises and indicated that there was information that there was illegal drugs on the premises.
After a brief search, the CID rank picked a blue and white candy wrapper from near the guard hut in the yard and showed it to Maria and her husband. He then said he found marijuana in their yard.
However, the couple said the substance in the wrapper appeared to be crushed up white candy and not green and leafy as marijuana is. They are adamant that it was set up by a former employee.
According to Maria, a woman who is a relative of her husband was left in charge of their business while they were overseas but they recently found out that the woman was stealing money from the business. Over $800,000 was taken from the business when they returned in February.
The matter was reported but was never dealt with, she said. She added that the woman was fired.
“Apparently the woman told them to plant drugs in my place, thinking that my husband is stupid. But I am not stupid. When I first came back in February, I placed two additional cameras. The woman who worked here was not aware of that.
“The Saturday when the guys came and harassed my husband saying that they got phone calls that there was drugs in the little hut in the yard, I told them there is no drugs here
“They said we are gonna have to arrest your husband. So I said ‘ok you are gonna have to arrest both of us,” Maria said.
She disclosed that the CID rank insisted that she was not involved, only her husband, and that they wanted to search the yard. The woman said she agreed and followed the rank. In a split second he pulled out a wrapper from near the hut.
“I’ll never forget. It was a wrapper; a red, blue, and it had some silver stars and inside it was sort of a white crushed up lifesaver candy. But he said it was weed.
“Now I know weed is green and not white but he was trying to crumple it up and then he took my husband outside and asked him for money or he will lock my husband up,” the woman said.
Maria stated that the rank even requested to see the cameras after allegedly demanding money but she refused. The police eventually left and told her they would return the Monday but never did.
The couple subsequently met with the Officer in Charge of Crime, a Mr. Baird who asked them during questioning, “What are you hoping to get out of this?”
While the question caught the couple off-guard they stated that they wanted the police to stop harassing them and that they wanted the rank penalized for his actions since there was no drugs in their yard.
Further, the surveillance cameras showed that the rank placed the object which he later retrieved and said it was weed.
The CID rank is still under close arrest as investigations continue.