Ex-cop gets life sentence for murder of young businessman

Jul 10, 2026 News

Sentenced to life: Yogendra Sukhdeo

(Kaieteur News) Yogendra Sukhdeo, a 30-year-old former police officer, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the $8 million robbery-murder of young businessman Amit Singh.

The murder took place on 24th October, 2023, at Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown.

According to the Guyana Police Force, Singh was lured to a house in Middle Road by persons claiming to have gold for sale. Sukhdeo, an associate of Singh’s, initially implicated three of his employees in the killing. The trio was arrested and questioned but denied any involvement; they were later released after investigators confirmed their alibis.

After his own arrest, Sukhdeo led police to his room at 20th Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, where a search turned up $7,791,000 in $5,000 bills. Singh and Sukhdeo had a history of prior transactions — the businessman’s family owns and operates D. Singh Trading in Campbellville, and the young man had entered the gold trade some time ago.

At a court appearance last month, Sukhdeo initially pleaded not guilty. He later confessed to the murder moments before he was due to stand trial before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury.

Dead: Amit Singh

Handing down the sentence at the High Court, Justice Kissoon described the killing as “a cold, deliberate act of murder committed in the course of a robbery.” He ordered that Sukhdeo serve 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.

“The rule of law is, and has always been, [that] those who violate the sanctity of human life, threatening the safety and well-being of members of society in the course of their violent criminal activities, motivated by hope of unlawful financial reward, must be prepared to accept the consequences of such conduct in law,” the judge said.

Justice Kissoon found that Sukhdeo committed a “willful, planned, and premeditated act of murder, motivated by greed,” bludgeoning his victim to death “in a horrific display of callous indifference to human life” before robbing him of $8 million in an attempt to conceal the crime.

The judge noted that Sukhdeo had deceitfully lured his victim by falsely claiming to have gold for sale.

In fixing the sentence, the trial judge weighed several factors: the nature and circumstances of the offence, the degree of deliberation and violence involved, the prevalence of such crimes, the offender’s antecedents, age and character, and whether he poses a danger to the public.

The case was prosecuted by special prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat, who asked the court to consider that the victim was a young, contributing member of society who lost his life violently at the hands of someone he had regarded as a trusted friend.

Reading a victim impact statement on behalf of Singh’s mother, the prosecutor shared the depth of the family’s grief. “When I learnt that my son had been brutally murdered, a part of me died on that day,” the statement read.

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businessman, D. Singh Trading, ex-cop, gold trade, Life sentence, Young

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