Resident tipped off cops to suspicious car
Four men still being held
Stabroek News
October 4, 2002
It was a phone call from a resident in the Cummings Lodge area, which tipped off the police and army to the suspicious activities of a gold car on Wednesday.
Four men are still in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station and citizens are being urged to call the police with similar reports.
The police and the army swooped on the group of men at a workshop after residents sounded warnings about suspicious strangers.
A fifth man, who is a University of Guyana (UG) worker, whose car was earlier involved in an accident with the men in the suspicious car, was released from custody on Wednesday evening.
Commissioner of Police (ag), Floyd McDonald, during a joint army/police press conference yesterday, said they have been receiving a number of reports from various sources all over the country about suspicious movements of vehicles.
He said Wednesday’s incident was a reflection of that type of activity where they received information that a car was seen circling the area in a suspicious manner.
“We called out one of our patrol units, the GDF was informed and we arrived at the scene probably simultaneously. Two vehicles were intercepted, one belonged to an employee of UG who was hurrying to go on a errand when he got into a conflict with the vehicle we were targeting. Both vehicles and personnel were taken to the station to be interrogated. We have released the guy who works with UG, but the other vehicle along with the other men remain in custody as we are still questioning them,” McDonald said.
McDonald denied they had recovered arms and ammunition as was alleged by some sections of the media.
“What that operation indicated is that if we get timely information our response would be fruitful and beneficial to the operation,” the acting commissioner said.
The UG worker had told this newspaper on Wednesday that he had halted at a bridge while going over a hole and the car carrying the four had rammed into the back of his vehicle. They all agreed to go to a body shop in Cummings Lodge and while there the police and army stopped them.
Residents in the area said it was the third time the gold-coloured car, HA 7860, was seen in the area and according to one resident the men had approached a yard and attempted unsuccessfully to open the gate. Upon seeing the men residents contacted the police.
The UG worker is reported by one media house to be demanding an apology for the “humiliation” he said he went through. But McDonald said, “I have no knowledge of a request for an apology but when investigations are complete and if the situation demands that we apologise to him, we will do that. But we are still investigating.” He continued by stating that the intention was not to humiliate anyone but they had received information and acted on it. “It is unfortunate that he was at the time at that place while we were mounting that operation.”
Acting Chief of Staff of the GDF, Edward Collins, who also chaired the briefing said, “we are being encouraged by the reports we got from the villagers in the Turkeyen area concerning the incidents with the two cars.
It was a public spirited, law abiding citizen that made us aware of these suspicious looking vehicles that prompted the operation.”
He added that it would help if similar reports were received from citizens all across the country.