Injured man transferred to GPH, pellet still lodged in head

THE police were up to yesterday preparing a file to send to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice on what charges should be laid against businessman, John Bahdur Ramdhanny, who shot his nephew in the head on Monday afternoon over a road dispute.The Guyana Chronicle was informed that the man who turned himself over to the police on Tuesday, but had an explanation for discharging his firearm in the direction of his relatives which saw his nephew sustaining a gunshot wound.
According to police sources who spoke with this newspaper, the man is claiming that he was merely attempting to pass on the access road which is controlled by his brother, when his brother and the injured man attacked him.
He reportedly told the police that his bother, Komal Ramdhanny threatened him and fired a shot in his direction which caused him to return fire causing his nephew to be struck. However on Monday night while at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, Komal Ramdhanny told this newspaper that it was his brother who came in an aggressive manner and opened fire in the direction of him and his son, 31-year-old, Vickram Ramdhanny.
Yesterday family members reported that the injured man who is now alert and communicating with relatives, was transferred from the West Demerara Regional Hospital to the Georgetown Public Hospital. His mother said that up to late yesterday afternoon an X-Ray was conducted on the man’s head which revealed that he still had a pellet lodged inside, even as five were removed while he was in the West Demerara Hospital.
Asked on Monday if he is a licensed firearm holder, Komal Ramdhanny said that he is and that his firearm was on his tractor at the time that the aggressor approached them. Yesterday police sources also confirmed that in light of the claims by John Ramdhanny that Komal Ramdhanny shot at him first, both of the men’s weapons were lodged and their hands swabbed for gunpowder residue.
The police as part of their investigation also, travelled to the backdam area where the incident occurred as they searched the area for spent shells. Sources close to the investigation related that in addition to looking for spent shell, the police who were to return to the area are now tasked with looking to see if they could recover a cutlass which John Ramdhanny claimed the father and son used to chase him with. He told investigators that the cutlass was left at the scene of the fracas.
Following the incident on Monday, Komal Ramdhanny who told reporters and police that he was the intended target for his brother as admitted by his brother, placed his injured son on a tractor and drove several miles out of the backdam with him making an exit somewhere at Canal Number 2, where they were received by police investigators and escorted to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
There the injured man’s mother related that the feud between the two sides has been ongoing for some time now and that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Forestry Commission had been called in to look into the matter.
This newspaper was also able to confirm that the matter was actively engaging the two agencies up to the time the shooting occurred on Monday.
Seeranie Ramdhanny said that she along with her brother-in-law has logging concessions and each has roads leading to their individual concessions. According to the woman, her brother-in- law damaged the road he uses to get to his concession and has been bullying them into allowing him access to his concession through their road, something they did not willingly give in to.
She spoke of numerous visits to the two agencies and threats made to her and her family by the man who shot her son, including that he was going to kill another relative and set the dwelling house of that relative on fire. That matter was said to have been reported to the police and is said to be engaging the attention of the courts.
Mrs. Ramdhanny said that the man who shot her son usually gets away with lots of wrongdoings because he is very close friends with persons who are influential in society. She spoke of a recent incident involving the man’s son and an under-aged girl, which was swept under the carpet.

(By Leroy Smith)