Police probing invasion of mining camp

Last Updated on Monday, 16 November 2015, 16:57 by GxMedia

Police were Monday said to be probing the invasion of a gold mining camp at Puruni, Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) by nine persons including six gunmen  and three known businessmen in what appears to be linked to the ownership of the concession.

Divisional Police Commander, Ravindradat Budhram said police were investigating a report of beating at a mining camp at Puruni. He said police did not receive any report that three known businessmen were involved in the incident.

Budhram said details would be provided later after investigators report their findings from the scene.

A representative of the Brazilian said that about 12 noon Sunday, the camp was raided and terrorized.

According to Raimundo Malhaeo the camp owner’s brother, who was at the time in charge of the camp, the men demanded gold. When told that there was no gold the gunmen began beating him and gun butted him to his head.

The gun men threatened to killed them if they remained on the camp’s grounds and told them they  would be back Monday.

Workers at the camp’s grounds recognized three of the men.

The owner of the Camp Nide Carneiro Malhao was not at the camp at the said time.

According to the camp’s owner, Nide Carneiro Malhao, he bought four mining blocks for GUY$60 million dollars in the area but only received paper work for one of the blocks. The miner said he was currently working on the block that he legally owns but he said that one of the named men apparently sold the block to another person.

He believes that the attack on him was to scare him off the grounds since those persons were aware that the land has gold.

The matter has been reported to the Bartica Police Station and also the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department, Eve Leary, Georgetown. The representative said the land issue would be reported to the Geology and Mines Commission.