Last Updated on Saturday, 3 May 2025, 12:39 by Writer
– Two police force members sent on leave, two others fired
The owner of Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, Bhojnarine Bhola has been blacklisted from leaving Guyana, and samples have been taken from him and the body of 11-year-old Adriana Younge for DNA testing in New York, police said Thursday.
“DNA samples obtained from the said individual and those of Adriana Younge will be escorted this evening by a forensic investigator for advanced testing and analysis to be conducted at the Mount Sinai Health System, New York,” the Guyana Police Force (GPF) said.
Two members of the police force have been sent on administrative leave, and a corporal and a constable were relieved of their duties due to neglect, police added.
A post mortem conducted by three foreign forensic pathologists on Monday revealed that Younge died by drowning.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday said government remained committed to a thorough investigation, but he deflected questions about whether foreign investigators would be called in, saying that President Irfaan Ali would make that decision.
Police said Bhola was released from custody after the 72-hour statutory detention period expired, but he was ordered to report to police daily and would not be allowed to leave Guyana.
“He was, thereafter, instructed by investigators to report on a daily basis to the station until the outcome of the investigation. Further, the Immigration Department has ‘blacklisted ‘ or prohibited the owner of the hotel from leaving the jurisdiction,” the police force said in a statement.
The then-Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands) Commander, Assistant Police Commissioner Khalid Mandall remains on administrative leave.
Police said a civilian staff member, who was on duty at the Command Centre, and unspecified members of the police force were sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal probe.
The GPF explained that the civilian office admitted to detectives that she entered the wrong date while checking the camera system that is located in the vicinity of Double Day Hotel.
Police added that she had been tasked with determining whether or not Younge had left the hotel.
“As a consequence of her error, she misled the ranks by reporting that she observed a female who fit the description of Adriana Younge, leaving the hotel with a male,” police added.
Police last week Wednesday had issued a statement saying that the girl was seen entering a car that was identified by the vehicle’s colour and licence plate, but after her body was found in the pool on the following day withdrew the statement, saying it had contained certain inaccurate aspects.
Police attributed that mistake specifically to a special constabulary sergeant, who “misled her colleagues” when she claimed that she was on duty in the Region Three Operation Room when a male anonymous caller informed her that Adriana Younge was seen leaving the Double Day hotel after and joined a black and red (Raum) motor vehicle.
In an effort to investigate the origin of the information about this vehicle, police said their investigators managed to obtain the called-in information and arrested the so-called male anonymous caller, and it turned out that the caller is well acquainted with the special constabulary rank.
“He also informed detectives that he and the female spoke for 10 minutes during which he told her that he was standing in front of the hotel when he overheard persons talking about the girl leaving in a black RAUM, hence, he related the said information to the special sergeant. The call log also confirmed the duration of the phone call as related by this individual,” the GPF added.
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