A POLICE constable is under close arrest as a team from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a prisoner at the Springlands Police Station, East Berbice, Corentyne on Wednesday last.

According to Commander of District Six, Jairam Ramlakhan, at around 17:10 hrs on Wednesday, ranks attached to the Springlands Police Station went to the Moleson Creek Stelling and processed Jankie Tapsie,30, and Rishiram Singh, 33, a taxi driver, who were both extradited from Suriname for the murder of Bibi Ramjit, 86, of La Grange, West Bank Demerara.

The duo were taken to the Springlands Police Station and were booked pending the arrival of a team to take them to CID head office in Georgetown when Tapsie also known as “Samantha” asked to use the washroom.

She was escorted by a male constable, who left as she locked the door of the toilet from the inside.

After sometime passed and she did not return, the rank returned to the washroom and made several calls that went unanswered. After managing to open the door, the rank reported the woman had disappeared and the window above the toilet was observed to be open.

The constable raised an alarm and a search conducted around the area to locate the woman proved futile. Commander Ramlakhan said teams are on the ground pursuing all leads in order to locate the woman who is the alleged mastermind behind the murder of the pensioner.

A notably upset Ramlakhan also revealed that the incident was unacceptable and if the ranks were found culpable, then they should be held accountable.

“A team from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is here to investigate and whoever is responsible would be dealt with and charged criminally. We have to make people example and I hope the investigation is completed quickly and they recommend criminal charges because this nonsense has to stop,” he said.

The police have since issued a wanted bulletin for the arrest of Jankie Tapsie for murder and escaping from lawful custody. Persons with information are asked to contact the nearest police station or call 229-2289, 220-2222, 227-1149 or 911.

Her last know addresses were given as Devisieweg #7 District Commenwjne, Suriname and Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

It is alleged that Tapsie was the mastermind behind the murder of Ramjit, whose body was discovered gagged with her hands and feet tied on her bed in the upper flat of her Lot 63 Old Road, La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) house.

The elderly woman operated a grocery shop on the lower flat of her home and, according to police, she was discovered on Sunday, October 25 at 17:00hrs by one of her customers.

According to a report from police, the customer, a 59-year-old farmer of Schoonard, WBD, went to purchase eddoes from Ramjit on Sunday but she did not have change for his $5,000.

He told her that he will drop her money later and went away.

According to the police, at about 17:00hrs, the farmer returned and observed the shop door and the back door to the upper-flat of the house wide open. He called out several times for Ramjit but got no response.

As a result, he proceeded to the upper flat of the house and looked into a bedroom and saw the businesswoman lying motionless on her back on her bed with her feet and hands tied. The Guyana Chronicle understands that the woman who lived alone was in the process of selling out the items in her store with the aim of closing down since she was also robbed sometime in July of this year.