By Abdool A. Aziz
THE STILL dawn of a Sunday morning was shattered by loud shouts of “murder, murder dey kill Baba and rape he wife…” We all ran out of our houses. I was still in pajamas and we bolted down the red brick road bare-footed to Baba’s residence. Many villagers were already crying loudly and beating their chests. Some fainted. I cried too.
Beloved

Baba, a fond name for the victim, was our beloved village boy. Quiet and demure, he led a simple life. Always with a smile, every Saturday afternoon he would stop at our parlour to partake in a soda. I would sell him and we would chat, a real friendly guy. Sometimes he leaves the change for kids. That Saturday before his demise was no exception and I’ll never forget his joke about catching a “bundarie crab.”

House of Horror:
The police did not arrive on the scene for some time and a few folks ventured into the house of horror. Many could not believe what they saw. Baba’s head was split open with an axe. His wife lay in trauma bleeding and their baby was stuffed between the mattress and the boards.

Police on the scene
Up to the time I was there that child was wailing. I saw blood dripping on the floor. It was agonizing…so sad. The police came and cordoned off the area; an ambulance took the battered wife to the hospital, and a hearse transported the dead man. It was a pitiful sight – lots of tears and hollering. I couldn’t eat that day. A cloud of sorrow hung over us. It was a Black Sunday and to add insult to injury, Baba’s death was one of mistaken identity.

Mistaken Identity
Baba’s brother-in –law King who lived next door was sitting on Baba’s front step having a cigarette. From a distance evil eyes were watching him. He was a prime witness in a case involving the owner of those devil eyes. He was an ex-policeman involved in a robbery. Now he set his plan in motion how he would eliminate King for good. And he entered that house after midnight to murder King, but he got the wrong man. King was asleep in his father’s house nearby.

This horrible act of vengeance on an innocent man and his family consumed the community and they demanded swift justice.

Wanted Cuffy
Within days the police put out a wanted bulletin for a suspect named ‘Cuffy’ and they learned that he was armed and dangerous. The community was petrified. The hardware store did brisk business with the rush for lumber, bolts, bars and locks. Security was beefed up in every home. And a self–imposed curfew was instituted where no one came out of their houses after 6pm.

Cuffy Everywhere
The village became a ghost town and police increased their patrol even during the day. Persons hardly ventured out. Night and Day truckloads of armed police traveled up and down the roadways. Young recruits, such as my brother, were thrown into the hunt.

Recruits as Hunters
We were scared for my brother’s life. He was just one month in training and he had been handed a rifle. My mother used to weep a lot and prayed continuously for his safety. Some young cops quit the Force rather than risk their lives.
For days the search for the fugitive continued. The villagers prayed for his capture. And on a tip the police went to a place called Naamrick in the Parika backlands. There they ambushed ‘Cuffy,’ but he opened up with his machine gun. A fire power ensued. Cuffy was shot but managed to escape in the bushes.

Fire Fight Casualty
A policeman was killed and a few others injured…even the Crime Chief who was David Rose (later Sir David Rose) was injured. The fiasco drove greater fear in the hearts of the people but for ‘Cuffy’ he faced a more intense search from law enforcement. Regular truckloads of police up and down made the area look like an entire army on the move. Now the bulletins read: Wanted ‘Cuffy –Dead or Alive.’

Social Paralysis
Most of the estate workers refused to go to work. A few went under police escort. The farmers abandoned their farms, businesses closed their doors, no one travelled, houses were locked up during the day, lights were out at nights, the curfew extended and schools were closed. Only the police were on the move and the tips kept coming in. The Police responded to all but no success. Now a reward was being offered.

Facing Cuffy
An old farmer worried about his crops and the shortage of food at home decided to visit his farm. His family begged him not to go but he was adamant.
Just as he entered his farm house, he came face to face with the killer. He dropped down on his knees and begged for his life. Cuffy yanked his lunch saucepan from his hand and gulped down the food

Quest for food
He then ordered the trembling man to return and bring more. That hardy farmer launched on a marathon once he was in the open he headed to the nearest police lookout.
The Police later descended in full force. It was night and ‘Cuffy’ was asleep. They drew no gun. He did put up a fight but they dragged him out like a wild animal and on the way to the city you could hear the jubilation: “We got him, wake up, open your house, we got him, ‘Cuffy’ is dead”

Jubilation
The lights went up. The windows and doors flew open, villagers ran to the roadway as a fleet of military vehicles rushed by. The police celebrated. Joy and peace returned to the depressed residents. A nightmare was over. CUFFY CAPTURED – MANHUNT OVER.
But in their exuberance the police sat on ‘Cuffy’ in the tray of the truck. He suffocated.
The next day the villagers saw their nemesis – a burly figure wearing a cut-out jute bag. For some villagers, it was a pity scene. Some said he shouldn’t have died that way and from evidence subsequently uncovered, he had not participated in the actual murder of Baba. Yes, he was an accomplice and yes he had killed a policeman at the ambush, but he had acted in self-defense.

Who was ‘Cuffy?’
Some theorized that during the manhunt he had hurt no civilian. They say he could’ve killed that farmer or hold him captive. To many, ‘Cuffy’ turned fugitive because of the accusation by law enforcement. He was scared of them. He chose to run sparking the biggest man-hunt in Guyana’s history.

That Reward
As to the farmer and the reward no one knows what happened. The farmer insisted he did not even think of It when he went to his farm. And he was glad to be alive. But he says he will never forget staring at a giant with an AK-47.
Fear still grips me when I recall those moment of terror. I was just 16 and I still mourn for Baba.

Indelible Memory
As for ‘Cuffy’ I pass no bad judgment’ happy that my brother was saved. The obnoxious experience made him a brave cop. The ‘Cuffy’ saga will forever remain one of the Nation’s biggest para-military exercises.