TWENTY-ONE-year-old Caitanya Kishundyal, self-employed and living with his parents at Rose Hall Town, Corentyne Berbice, was on Wednesday night ambushed by four masked bandits who accosted him at the gate to his home moments after he had driven a vehicle into the yard, at about 22:00hrs.One of the bandits approached the vehicle and shot him to his abdomen, then the quartet promptly ran away.

The injured man was rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital before being referred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, and subsequently the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he is currently in critical condition.

Kishundyal’s older brother, Nanda Gopaul Kishundyal, said his brother had just entered the yard when he was attacked by the four masked bandits. Nanda said video footage shows that within a minute of his brother driving into the yard, one of the four men came up to the car and shot him to his abdomen. However, the bandits strangely did not take anything from their victim, but ran away right after the incident.

“One camera picked up the footage of (the incident), but it is not really clear. You cannot see a face or anything to help make out who shot him. It isn’t clear enough to help,” Nanda lamented.

Nanda Kishundyal also mentioned that this is not the first incident of the family being attacked by bandits. He related that, a few years ago, the family was robbed of approximately $200,000 when bandits broke into the home. He called on law enforcement authorities to keep the pressure on criminals.

The injured Caitanya is a member of the Hare Krishna Movement. Investigations are ongoing into the matter.

GENERAL REDUCTION
Government announced on Wednesday that there was a general reduction in crime for the period January 23 – 29, 2016, during which there were 27 reported cases of serious crimes and 21 road accidents, but no fatalities.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, revealed at a post-Cabinet media briefing that the Guyana Police Force was responsible for the seizure of 402kg and 491 grams of cannabis, and ten persons have accordingly been charged. He also noted that 777 grams of cocaine were seized and four persons have been charged, while the police have destroyed 4,000 cannabis plants and 44kg of dried cannabis. The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) also recently seized 63kg of cocaine, Trotman said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet was informed that there has been a marked improvement in police responses to criminal activities, whereby the police have been able to arrive at crime scenes in a timelier manner. “The police were also able to make several arrests very soon after some incidents of criminality. This has resulted in a very positive impact on the citizen/police relationships,” Minister Trotman said.

He noted that a National Security Committee was recently established and is being headed by President David Granger. Other members of that committee include Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister Ramjattan; and heads of the security forces. The committee meets on a weekly basis, where crime statistics and analysis are presented.