POLICE in Berbice came in for high praise after foiling an attempted robbery/ execution on a Corentyne businessman on Thursday.
At around 16:30hrs on Thursday Cordell Fraser 24 was arrested by the lawmen after he was found with a .38 revolver with four matching rounds. During interrogation the man revealed to ranks that he was allegedly hired by a Jamaican to execute the businessman over unpaid debts. The businessman owns and operates a clothing and footwear store in Berbice.
“The plan was to execute the businessman, however they were to make it appear as a robbery. It’s a plan that was initiated by a Jamaican, who would have alleged that the businessman owes some sum of money for a job and the Jamaican would have arranged it,” said ‘B’ Division Commander, Ian Amsterdam, during a media briefing.
According to the commander, a detective constable on Thursday afternoon was driving along the Corentyne Highway and while in the vicinity of Number 1 Road he began following a suspect, who was on a motorcycle, trailing behind a motorcar. The suspect who was identified as Fraser is a known character to the Police and was recently released from prison.
Amsterdam explained that while in the vicinity of Albion, the motorcar attempted a U-Turn and collided with the motorcyclist. The detective, who was still observing the suspect noticed he fell to the ground but quickly picked himself up, abandoned the motorcycle and boarded the car, asking the driver to take him somewhere.
The Commander described the motorcycle as an Elite 150 Model bearing fake number plates CG 2893 and was reportedly stolen sometime back. The original number plate is CG 6495. Further, as the detective continued to pursue the suspect, who was now acting suspiciously, the car turned into Anamayah Street, Hampshire Village; at that point the man exited the vehicle and walked towards the Police Officer and pulled out what appeared to be a firearm and threw it into a nearby trench. He was subsequently arrested and the weapon was retrieved from the trench. He was taken to the Albion Police Station where he detailed to Police the plot to kill the businessman.
According to the Commander, based on information given by the suspects two other persons were arrested and are currently assisting with investigations. “We are now conducting further checks to see the connection. We understand the Jamaican has left the country; we are checking to see if that is so and we will monitor his travel in and out of Guyana. We are intensifying that lead , we are talking to the businessman and others to see what concrete information we could get to see how we could deal with it.”
Additionally, the gun is suspected to be that of the three persons in custody. Detectives believe the man was on his way to Rose Hall Town to execute the plan, but was stopped short after the detective attached to the Whim Police Station tracked him down. “We were able to save a life; to recover a gun, but there’s still more. We will continue to probe; we have to do some more work because when these things happen sometimes they are associated with something else and then persons start to get timid.
The motorcycle was stolen so they had a plan and the plan was underway,” Amsterdam said.
Meanwhile, according to the businessman, he was informed on Friday morning by three men that he was a potential target for a robbery. “They said the guy who they found had a gun and said there was a plan to rob me. I don’t know how true it is. I do not have problems with anyone,” the businessman offered. He was later informed by police of the alleged execution on his life. The businessman confirmed that he is friends with a Jamaican, who resides in Rose Hall, but does not believe he would do such since they are friends for some time now. “I don’t believe he (Jamaican) would plan to rob me or kill me”.
