How do the police do their investigations?

NOVEMBER 13, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER FEATURES / COLUMNISTS, FREDDIE KISSOON

In both independent dailies – the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News – the reporting on the case of the “Robb Street granny murder” cited one of the accused giving a voluntary statement to the police in which he implied that a well known businessman, whose operation in motor spares is next to the house of the “murdered granny” wanted the woman out of the way. In these reports, there was absolutely no mention if the police interviewed the businessman. It doesn’t mean that during the investigation, the police did not question him. Here is a quote from each newspaper; “Before we go pun de wuk Otis de tell me that we didn’t got fuh worry, because Trans lived next door and how I get fuh figure out that is Trans wuk is because about a week before, Trans, I think he name Satish, because I hear Otis de calling he Satish, he come in Albouystown and he and Otis de talking. He de telling Otis that he and a lady deh in court over some land dispute and how the lady is cross …Is the same lady Otis put we fuh kill on Robb Street, right next to Satish house.” (end of quote). This is from the Kaieteur News. Here is the quote from the Stabroek News; “About a week before, Trans—I think he name Satesh, because I hear Otis calling he Satesh—he come in Albouystown and he and Otis did talking and he did telling Otis that he and a lady deh in court over some land dispute and how de lady is a cross and he want she go down. Jacobs said, according to the statement. Jacobs claimed that the lady his friends were paid to kill was the same lady who was at the centre of Otis’ and Satesh’s discussion that day. Is the same lady Otis put we fuh kill on Robb Street, just next to Satesh store.” (end of quote) No popularly known businessman has been charged with the murder. So it leaves you to wonder what the motive of the four men was for killing “granny.” From the reporting of the trial, it seems that someone wanted granny out of the way over a dispute with property. In the court proceedings, it was revealed that no one by the name of Satesh was charged. Satesh is a typical East Indian name. It meant therefore than a person of Indian descent was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to kill, but just who or what or where is Satesh? Is it possible there was never any Satesh? But why did his name surface in a confession statement? I guess we have to leave it at that. The “Robb Street granny murder” reminds me of the older folks who have said time and time again that the early days of the fifties and sixties were the best era in Guyana and lamented its passing. In fact, up to a few days ago, Guyanese icon, Moses Bhagwan, in an e-mail to me offered a similar sentiment. Would the police have operated the same way as they do now in the 21st century in Guyana? Were the police more professional and less corrupt in the fifties and sixties? Do we have policemen in Guyana today that would know that a very wealthy person was behind a crime and would only charge the donkey-cart man who carried the stolen goods that were arranged by the wealthy guy? The “Robb Street granny murder” reminds me of a case carried in this very newspaper years ago. And every day one has to say thank God for the media in this country. There was a dispute within a very rich family. The heiress had put in her will, a whopping sum (millions) for her handyman who served her for over thirty years. That angered some in the family. There was an attempt on the life of the handyman. No one was ever charged. Any schoolboy would know that suspicion had to fall on that family. But maybe our crime sleuths had other ideas about who wanted to murder the handyman. It could be that the handyman told his grandchild about the money left for him, and so the recalcitrant young man tried to kill him. That was stupid, because how would he have secured the money that was still in the old lady’s will? Is it possible that hits may have been ordered by people so rich that the police’s first approach is get the actual shooter and once that is done, they don’t feel inclined to go after the untouchables? Or the untouchable have envelopes?