Slowe confident police have phone-tracking device

Aug 19, 2022 News

– dismisses Crime Chief’s claims that device was not used in ‘Paper Shorts’ probe

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force back in 2009 had unveiled a sophisticated devise capable of tracking phone calls and performs other functions, but on Wednesday its Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum denied that the organisation has such piece of equipment and that it was used in the investigation into the killing of businessman, Ricardo Fagundes.

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum

It was Detective Sergeant Dion Bascom who had made the revelations that the police were able with the use of technology to place Mark Richmond-one of the suspects in Fagundes’ murder at the crime scene on the night he was shot and killed outside of Palm Court. According to Bascom, phone records had also showed that Richmond was in contact with prominent businessman, Azruddin Mohamed around the time of the killing. When this information was related to the superiors, they allegedly never acted on it, Bascom said. However, Blanhum and his detectives at a news conference on Wednesday called Bascom’s allegations false and even moved to debunk the claims implicating Mohamed in the murder and placing the suspect at the crime scene. The Crime Chief said that the Force is not in possession of any device or technology that could make such discoveries. He went on to state that the other investigator who was allegedly using the technology while Bascom was present has since made a statement denying the claims.

The phone tracking ‘spy machine’ was on August 5, 2009 unveiled by the Guyana Police Force at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary. In background, is former Top Cop, the late Henry Greene

However, speaking on an online programme on Thursday, Retired Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Slowe, debunked the police’s claims, drawing reference to a August 6, 2009 article by the Kaieteur News in which the then Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene unveiled a laptop and a transmitter that they said were seized from convicted drug trafficker Roger Khan and two other men, Haroon Yahya and Sean Belfield back in December 2002 at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara. “The electronic equipment was lodged with the Guyana Police Force by Superintendent Frederick Caesar. This is the equipment lodged with the force,” Greene said while indicating the Panasonic laptop and what appeared to be a receiver with the listing CSM 7806 on the front, the Kaieteur News had reported.

The police at the time were trying to dispel claims by US Prosecutors in the then Roger Khan’s case that they had seized ‘Spy’ equipment’ capable of intercepting telephone calls from the office of Robert Simels, who was one of Khan’s attorneys. The police force back then on several occasions, had insisted that they had the equipment they had seized from Khan in their possession. Fagundes was reportedly gunned down by two men seen on a CCTV camera emerging from the back of a white tinted Toyota Fielder. According to Bascom, phone records had also showed that Richmond was in contact with prominent businessman, Azruddin Mohamed around the time of the killing. When this information was related to the superiors, they allegedly never acted on it.

Slowe arguing his case the force has tracking devices, related when he was arrested and charged by the police last year , they were even given instructions to arrest me because they even went to the airport in anticipation of my return they went to the airport and waited there I didn’t arrive at that day, they went another day I didn’t arrive there and when I finally arrived to go to court they turned up at the courtyard to arrest me and I am aware and let me say this, in relation to the statement made by Blanhum that they do not have the capability of following people and tracking people. When I returned to Guyana in October of last year to attend court on those trumped up charges, they tracked me, I know that they turned up at two locations where I had just left and the only way they could have known that I was there is that they were tracking me electronically so that is nonsense that he is talking there,” Slowe asserted.

Police tipped off

Kaieteur News on Monday reported that more allegations have been brought to fore that detectives investigating were tipped-off by an informant about the driver of the get-away car used in the hit but they had never moved to arrest the suspect for questioning.

The suspected get-away driver is no stranger to law and although the police allegedly did not pursue leads to detain him, he landed in hot-water months after Fugundes was killed for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was charged and remanded to prison for the offence. It is unclear if the detectives had questioned him about his alleged involvement in death of Ricardo Fagundes. However, according to reports received by this newspaper, police had received details that the suspect could be the one behind the wheels of a white heavily-tinted Toyota Fielder Wagon used in the hit on Fagundes.

Despite having an identity of the suspect, no instructions were given for him to be arrested nor did police attempt to detain him for questioning or seek leads about his whereabouts. The alleged get-away driver was the second suspect to be identified in the killing of Fagundes. The first to be identified was an individual by the name of “Shop Man”, a security guard working with a business establishment located in central Georgetown. “Shop Man” was recently publicly identified as Mark Richmond of Mohamed’s Enterprise located on Lombard Street. The business place confirmed that he is part of its security team but not in charge of its security operations.

This development came after Bascom publicly accused his superiors and named one of them of collecting a bribe to cover-up the investigation. Bascom was one of the detectives working on the Fagundes murder case but he was later removed from the investigation and transferred to another location after reports had surfaced in the media that the suspect had threatened him.

During his Facebook live he implicated Mohamed in the murder and the alleged cover-up of the investigation. Mr Mohamed has since denied the allegations. The detective claimed that with the use of technology, investigators were able to place Richmond at the crime scene on the night of the murder and cell phone records showed that he was in contact with Mohamed.

As it relates to the ongoing investigation into the murder of Fagundes, police had publicly stated that they were able to trace the car used in the hit from North Road towards Main Street, Georgetown moments before he was killed. The car parked at Main Street and two gunmen waited inside for their target to step outside of Palm Court and when he did, CCTV cameras captured them emerging from the vehicle and riddling Fagundes will more than 20 bullets. They then went back into the car and it sped in a southerly direction heading towards the East Bank Demerara. A car was later that evening found burnt out along Linden/Soesdyke Highway and police suspected that it was used to carry out Fagundes’ murder.