Jagdeo should act with firmness, or
resign
time to 'flush' him out
 MEETING WITH THE AGGRIEVED — President Bharrat Jagdeo with Priya Nandalall (second from the President’s left), aggrieved mother of 20-year-old Non Pariel kidnap victim Vivekanand Nandalall, and other relatives at the Office of the President yesterday. |
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Ms Nandalall
noted that the President was very receptive and sympathetic to the family and
promised to assist wherever possible.
Expressing her
sentiments just after the meeting, she noted, "The President said he would try
his best to help us. He said he already sent out some Police to Bruche Dam,
because I came with that information."
The woman said
she is very appreciative of the gesture by the President, but still feels her
loss immensely, as there is no word about her son's condition or
whereabouts.
The family was accompanied to the closed-door
meeting by other relatives, friends and concerned
neighbours.
Nandalall's
parents have since paid a ransom of $1M, but did not receive their son, as was
promised by the kidnappers.
In an invited
comment to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the mother made another
public appeal for information leading to the whereabouts of the young
man.
The Guyana Police
Force issued a detailed statement on October 20, about the
operations to find Nandalall.
* The recovered taxi was immediately dusted
and six sets of fingerprints were uplifted while between 9:00 and 11:55 hours,
the Police teams conducted searches in Buxton backlands. The teams cordoned off
the area and searched five abandoned houses and one home on Company Road. During
this process, one man was arrested, questioned and subsequently
released.
* The same
morning, ranks visited the victim's relatives and spent the greater part of the
day there until late in the evening.
* Between
12:15 and 13:40 hours, the Police team cordoned off and searched four houses and
one abandoned house between Buxton and Strathspey Squatting Area. A quantity of
clothing, a pair of boots and towels were found at Middle Street at a residence.
One woman was arrested during this search. She is before the Court on several
charges, including indecent exposure and obstructing a peace
officer.
* Eight
abandoned buildings were searched in the Bare Root Area between the hours of
14:25 and 15:50.
* Following a
ransom call, ranks searched a shop at Friendship between 16:15 and 17:00 hours.
Seven persons were arrested and subsequently released on bail on October
18.
* Seven houses
were searched at Brushe Dam, Friendship between 17:10 and 17:50 hours, when one
man was held for questioning and later released.
* Later in the
evening of October 17, the ransom demand was reduced from $5M to $1M. The
following morning (October 18), at approximately 4:00 hours, the money was
delivered but the victim was not seen and there has been no further contact with
the kidnappers.
* The Police
searched three houses and one abandoned building at Watson Street, North
Friendship between 9:15 and 9:55 hours.
* Between
10:35 and 11:05 hours the Police searched six stalls at Company Road market
following a tip-off that one of the suspects was seen earlier on Buxton Railway
Embankment Road. Three men were arrested, but were later released on
bail.
* Four houses
were searched between Church of God Road and Sideline Dam, this occurred between
the hours of 11:20 and 12:35 hours.
* Ranks
cordoned off and searched four houses between Brushe Dam, Annandale and Golden
Grove between 13:15 and 15:00 hours. A woman suspected of being an acquaintance
of one of the suspects was arrested, and later released on bail on October
19.
* At 15:35
hours, based on information received, four persons were arrested but no useful
information was obtained.
* Between
16:30 and 16:35 hours a house at Company Road was cordoned off and
searched.
* Two persons
came to the Police claiming that they were wanted in relation to the kidnapping
between the hours of 18:05 and 18:25. They were processed and later released on
October 19.
* On October
19, between 11:00 and 13:00 hours, 13 abandoned houses were searched in the Bare
Root Area.
* At 12:00
hours the home of one of the suspects was searched.
* The Police
teams conducted searches in the East Ville Backdam area between the hours of
13:15 and 14:05.
* At 15:20
hours, Police, acting on information, arrested a woman from Bachelor's
Adventure. She was later released.
* On October
20, between the hours of 6:00 and 6:15 the Police searched two abandoned houses
at Middle Street, Buxton, an unfinished Church at Paradise Housing Scheme; two
houses and two unfinished buildings at Buxton, and 10 abandoned houses in
Buxton, Sideline/East Ville area. A Police beret, a first aid book and pair of
army boots were found.
* Between the
hours of 5:15 and 6:45 on October 21, ranks conducted searches on six abandoned
buildings at Bare Root, Bachelor's Adventure. A piece of duct tape with hair
attached was found on the access road leading to the canefields.
The
Police release further stated that from the time of the report of the kidnapping
to October 21, several other activities were conducted, but due to their nature,
information on them cannot be divulged.
Eighty-seven
houses/buildings have been searched and 23 persons have been arrested, detained
and/or questioned. And area searches were conducted in Buxton, East Ville, Bare
Root, Paradise and Enterprise Back Dams.
The
President's meeting with Nandalall's relatives follows an earlier visit to
relatives by the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Region Four Member of Parliament Neil
Kumar.
Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Ronald Gajraj has been in constant contact with relatives of the kidnapped victim. (Government Information Agency)
November 05, 2003