….three others being sought

Two men were today charged with the murder of four Corentyne fishermen who were beaten,chopped, bound and thrown overboard between October 5th and 13th 2019.

The men, 22-year-old Suresh Sundat called ‘Chu Chu Bai’ and 30-year-old Narine Dhanrajh both of Belvedere village, East Berbice Corentyne, appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Number Fifty One Village Magistrates Court and were remanded to prison for the capital offence until November 7th 2019.

The duo, one of whom is a cousin of one of the victims, wore blank stares in the courtroom as the charge of murder, under the Hijacking and Piracy Act of Guyana under Section Seven, Chapter 10:08, was read to them by the magistrate.

The facts of the case presented in court stated that between October 5 and 13, 2019 the men murdered Vishnu Seeram called ”Kevin” age 20, Marvin Tamessar age 20, called ”Buddy”, Lamar Otto Petrie, 20 all of Miss Phoebe village, Port Mourant and Kawal Kissoon called “Ajay” of 223 Letter Kenny Village during the course of piracy on the Corentyne River.

The men,who were unrepresented, were not required to plea to the indictable charge. They were remanded to prison until November 7th where they will make an appearance at the Whim Magistrate’s Court for report.

During the 10- minute proceedings in the courtroom, the court orderly was forced to caution the relatives of the deceased to remain quiet as  they
sobbed.

Most of the relatives had tears streaming down their faces and muffed their sobs in the courtroom.

Outside the courtroom, as the men were escorted by police,relatives
of the victims stood and watched shaking their heads as the men were taken to the van to be escorted to the New Amsterdam Prisons.

Sundat and Dhanraj were arrested on Friday last and allegedly confessed while in custody that they were part of the five member crew which attacked and killed the four fishermen.

The motive according to investigators appears to be robbery but since the victims retaliated and recognised the attackers, the victims were battered, bound and thrown overboard.

Police are actively hunting three accomplices of the pirates.