Four Venezuelans among 5 remanded for killing mining camp workers

Aug 26, 2021 News

The five suspects remanded for the murders of Niles and Bachan

Kaieteur News – Four Venezuelan men were among five persons remanded yesterday for allegedly killing a security guard and a worker at a watchman camp close to a mining site at the Black Water backdam, Cuyuni, Mazaruni, Region Seven.

Murdered worker, Suresh Bachan

The bloodied bodies of the men, Steven Niles, the security guard and Suresh Bachan, the miner, were found – one in a hammock and the other on a makeshift bed – around 06:00hrs. on August 5, last.
Region Seven detectives were able to track down five suspects and had arrested them. According to Commander of the district, Dion Moore, the men had admitted to beating Niles and Bachan to death with a crowbar.
The suspects are: Nicholas Ceaser called ‘Wild buck,’ 22, a miner of Yarrowkabra Village, Linden-Soesdyke Highway and four Venezuelans – Juan Oscar Calderon Lopez called ‘Gordo,’ 25, Jose Ramon Tovar better known as ‘Bashein,’ 24, Luis Miguel Monrroy, 35, and Jhonny Gonzalves aka ‘Sankey Pankey,’ 47.
They all appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, and were jointly charged with murder by Magistrate, Delon Bess.
The defendants were not required to plead to the indictable charge and are expected to make their second court appearance at the Kamarang Magistrate’s Court on September 20, 2021.
According to reports, the suspects had allegedly murdered Niles and Bachan between the evening hours on August 4 and 06:00hrs. on August 5. Kaieteur News had reported that the men who were killed were employed at a mining operation in the Black Water backdam, and after work ended during the late afternoon hours of August 4, they along with other employees went to their base camp located some distance away from the work ground.

Murdered security guard, Steven Niles

After having their meals, Niles and Bachan had returned to the work ground where they would sleep at a watchman camp to guard the sluice boxes.
The following day around 06:00hrs. when the General Manager (GM) turned up at the work ground with the other employees, they found Niles and Bachan dead.
Further checks were made and it was discovered that Niles’ AR-15 rifle and a gold mat from the sluice box were missing. Detectives, who arrived at the scene later that day, had also noted that a blood-stained crowbar was lying close by as well. An autopsy later revealed that the men were beaten to death with a heavy object, and the detectives were led to believe that it could be that the blood-stained crowbar was the weapon used.
Investigators began following leads tracking potential suspects. Their investigations had led them to detain two individuals for questioning. Those persons were later released after detectives had found nothing linking them to the crime. However, vital information would lead the detectives to trail the five men, who are now remanded, for the heinous crime.
During investigations, detectives had sought to ascertain why there were no reports of retaliatory gun fire from Niles since he was always armed.
As was suspected, Nicholas Caesar, the lone Guyanese suspect, like the four Venezuelan suspects, was known to the victims. It is believed that he, along with the four had planned to steal the gold mat from the sluice box that evening.
Detectives believe too, that one of the victims was part of the plan but to make it a success, they had to get past or convince the other victim guarding the sluice box.
One theory suggests that Caesar had visited Niles and Bachan at the watchman camp along with the four Venezuelan nationals in the late evening hours of August 4.
It is unclear as to what led to them bludgeoning the men to death, but it is quite evident to the cops that when they tried to carry out their robbery plans something went horribly wrong.
Detectives have since related to Kaieteur News that the men behind bars on remand have confessed that they had beaten Niles and Bachan to death with the crowbar that was found close to the scene before escaping with the gold mats.

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