Kurupung ‘gangsters’ threaten, bully miners

Aug 21, 2020 News

– police investigating

A mining camp in the Kurupung Backdam

Region Seven Commander, Dion Moore, plans to investigate reports surfacing of a ‘gang’ that is reportedly terrorizing, threatening, and bullying miners at Kurupung, Cuyuni-Mazaruni.
Moore told Kaieteur News that he received a phone call from the Police Eve Leary Headquarters in Georgetown alerting him of the ongoing situation at the mining area. He said that he was waiting on a report and will soon dispatch ranks in the area to carry out the necessary investigations.
One of the miners working in the area reached out to this newspaper after the gang threatened to chop him to death early Wednesday.
Kaieteur News learnt from the miner, that for two years now the gang which is headed by two brothers have been robbing, threatening, beating and bullying everyone who makes a living in that area.
“They claimed that they are in control of Kurupung…that they own all the land, they are the bosses and can do what they please,” said the man.
The miner said that he had gotten into a conflict with the brothers about a year ago over a gold claim (mining concession) granted to him by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
“They have two four inch pumps and started working on my concession without my permission. I confronted them and instructed them to leave but they refused,” explained the miner.
“I did what I thought was right, I made a report to the police and officers came and removed the gang from the claim.”
Since then, he said, they have continuously bullied and threatened his workers.
“We cannot even go on the landing…we have a house there and we are not permitted to enter. They would tell us this is our turf…don’t come out here… don’t pass… we will kill you,” the man claimed.
Recently, the man had left his mining camp to buy food for his workers.
Upon his return, he discovered that one of his excavators was used to move the gang’s engines and “box” to his concession.
That was not all, his excavator, along with diesel and oil, was used to clear a spot and remove overburden for them to work. The miner said he became furious and fired his operator.
It was not until the men reacted that he realized that they had forced the employee to work for them free of cost using his machine.
The men then approached him and threatened that if he doesn’t allow them to work on his concession with his machine then he will be killed along with his employees.
“We had some harsh exchange of words and I made a call and reported the matter to the police,” the miner said.
However, a few days later, three men turned up at his camp with cutlasses and told him “this turf we run things here” and warned that if he refuses to do as the gang says, they will chop him to pieces.
Fearful for his life, the man is pleading with the authorities to intervene as soon as possible.
Kaieteur News has also received information from other sources that this gang is responsible for the trafficking of young Venezuelan women between the ages of 16 and 25 in the area.
The men were also said to be responsible for a number of armed robberies and murders.

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