“WHEREVER the chips fall we will pursue and whoever is responsible will face sanctions,” these were the words of Commissioner of Police Leslie James as he answered questions about the death of an inmate in the Sparendaam Police Station lock-up.

The police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) will be conducting an investigation into the death of Kallicharran Sawak called “Danny”, who suffered injuries to his head while in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station.

Sawack, of Lot 3, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara (ECD), died on January 28, 2019, while a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). An autopsy on his remains, which was done on Wednesday, gave the cause of death as multiple injuries due to blunt trauma about the body.

This indicated that Sawak was beaten about the body, something which coincides with relatives accusations of police brutality. It is alleged that the 39-year-old LBI resident was beaten in the lock-up, and due to the severity of the beating, the father of one was warded at the GPHC where he succumbed.

According to relatives, Sawak was arrested on January 17, 2019, after he was misbehaving while heavily intoxicated and a report was made at the Beterverwagting Police Station. He was subsequently transferred to the Sparendaam Police Station where he remained in custody while awaiting his time to be placed before the court.

Sawak was due to appear in the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court on January 22, but when the matter was called and he was not there, it was put aside. It was on the second calling of the case that relatives were informed by the magistrate that the prisoner had been hospitalised. The man’s mother, Ramdai Sawak, 68, told this publication that her son was a welder and worked with a construction company, and her son met his demise under questionable circumstances, and as such, she would like the relevant authorities to conduct a full investigation.