RSVGPF getting assistance from Guyana Police Force with detained Guyanese nationals

Vincentian police have asked the Guyana Police Force to assist them in their investigations into seven Guyanese who were remanded in custody here last week.{{more}}

Guyanese online media reported earlier this week that Police Chief of Criminal Investigations, Deputy Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud said the request by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force was done through the International Police (InterPol) system.

According to Demerara Waves Online News, Persaud said Vincentian police want background checks on the five men and two women. These will include whether they had been involved in similar incidents in Guyana and confirmation of their identities. He said fingerprints of any of the remanded prisoners would be requested only if other forms of identification do not match.

The Deputy Police Commissioner, meanwhile, confirmed that one of the Guyanese men, Kevin Orindio Mc Lennan, is a former member of the Guyana Police Force. He ceased being a policeman about five years ago, the Demerara Waves Online News quoted Persaud as saying.

The others charged are Rizwan Mohamed Meerza, Aslam Mohamed Kayum, Surendra Sookdeo, and Devindra Singh, along with females Savitrie Sookraj and Gangadai Sookdeo.

The seven appeared before Senior Magistrate Sonya Young last week Wednesday and faced three counts of conspiracy to commit the offence of burglary. They have been remanded into custody until February 4, with the option of applying to the High Court for bail.

According to information from the court, the accused were found with devices which the police suspected would be used to commit fraudulent activities in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The indictments stemmed from investigations by the police, following the arrival of the Guyanese at the E.T. Joshua Airport, on Sunday, September 30.

Among items in the visitors’ possession were 314 data cards, two scanners with cameras, two red handle pliers, magnifying glass, two data card readers, cords, a drill, X-ray paper, and a Toshiba Lap top.

Prosecutor Nigel Butcher objected to bail for the seven on the grounds that they being non-nationals presented a flight risk.