‘Caring’ carjackers were AWOL soldiers
By Kim Lucas
Stabroek News
March 18, 2003
Two men who robbed and hijacked a city taxi driver last week, then gave the stranded man money to get back home, have turned out to be soldiers who had gone absent without leave (AWOL) from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) earlier this year.
The duo was nabbed early Thursday morning while sitting on a stall in the vicinity of a car park in Mackenzie, Linden, just a few hours after robbing Brian Gittens of his valuables and car. They reportedly told the police that they were on a “lil’ hustle” since they had no jobs.
But sources yesterday revealed that the two hijackers, a 19-year-old from South Ruimveldt, Georgetown and a 21-year-old from Wismar, Linden, were in fact members of the GDF who had absconded. The teen had reportedly left in early February, while his accomplice went missing from duty earlier in the year.
Stabroek News understands that the soldiers were handed over to the GDF yesterday, and were taken to Base Camp Ayanganna where they were to be tried summarily and dismissed from the army before being handed back to the police.
Gittens was hijacked late last week Wednesday night by two young men who had asked for a ride on Mandela avenue, Georgetown. They locked him in the trunk of his brown Toyota Sprinter, HA 6919.
The hijackers took the 41-year-old father of four along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and dumped him in the vicinity of Salem before continuing onto the mining town of Linden. The taxi-driver had told this newspaper that the two hijackers had given him $500 of his own money to return home after stealing his cellular phone, vehicle documents, dog training equipment and other belongings.
But Gittens managed to flag down a passing truck and the driver gave him a ride to the Mackenzie Police Station. With the help of the police, the taxi-driver was able to recover his car the same night. He and a party of policemen also patrolled the mining town until the two hijackers were spotted and arrested. The men had Gittens’ property and a loaded 9mm pistol in their possession when arrested.
Army sources last night confirmed that the duo had been court martialled and dismissed from the GDF yesterday. They are expected to be charged tomorrow.
