Brazilian dredge operator shot dead in Cuyuni

A Brazilian dredge operator was shot dead after a gang of foreign-sounding gunmen invaded a mining camp at Akaiwanna, Cuyuni, Region Seven on Tuesday evening and occupied it for almost eight hours.

Dead is thirty-six-year-old Antonio Da Silva, a Brazilian national. He died after he was shot several times in the body.

Acting Crime Chief Paul Williams yesterday confirmed the incident which occurred between 5.45 pm on Tuesday and 2 am yesterday.

He said an investigation has been launched and a team of ranks has been deployed to the scene.

Investigations, according to the police have revealed that the attack was carried out by a gang of six to eight men who ransacked the camp after tying up DaSilva and several of his workers.

They escorted DaSilva to his worksite where they removed an undisclosed amount of raw gold after which they took him about 500 meters away from the site and shot him several times before escaping.

Stabroek News was told that during the incident, that after tying up the workers, the bandits began to “wash down” the boxes containing gold.

During the process, one of the employees managed to escape and he ventured to another mining camp where he related what had transpired and the police were informed.

The gunmen also disconnected all the communication equipment attached to the camp. It is suspected that they are Brazilian nationals due to their accent.

DaSilva had been operating the site which he rented from a Guyanese businessman several years ago.