Senior Reporter
Cunupia residents were full of praise for the police hours after they awoke to the sound of gunfire yesterday morning, as the usually quiet agricultural community was the scene of a chase and shootout between bandits and police officers, which led to the deaths of four suspects and the arrest of two others. The incident stemmed from a home invasion.
According to a TTPS media release, the incident began around 3.30 am when a 70-year-old farmer was attacked at his Cunupia home by eight masked bandits, one of whom had a gun.
The man was tied up and had his cellphone stolen along with $1,120.
A report was made and officers of the Central Division, the police Home Invasion Team (HIT) and the Regiment were mobilised, chasing the bandits, before eventually intercepting them at Ramnarine Trace, off Esmeralda Road near a grocery.
Police said officers were shot at by the bandits, but returned fire, killing three of the suspects and arresting two others.
Investigators said three men escaped at that time; however, one suspect was shot and killed by police shortly after midday.
When Guardian Media visited the scene, officers from various units were seen walking through fields and bushy areas in the agricultural access roads off Esmeralda Road, Charles Trace, Sampson Trace and others nearby as the search continued for bandits who fled.
Police sources speaking on condition of anonymity said there was suspicion that some of the bandits who escaped capture scattered to different neighbourhoods nearby, hiding in derelict houses or abandoned farming structures.
But even as joint teams of police and soldiers scoured nearby lots of land, several farmers and field hands continued their work unfazed by the heightened police activity.
One farmer, who asked not to be named, said he was pleased with the swift response of the police as he recalled hearing the first volley of gunfire just before 4 am.
The man who described himself as a “career gardener” said he was relieved that the suspects were arrested, noting that residents and farmers have been living in fear of criminals for months, as bandits were known to navigate backroads and fields to stage attacks and escape undetected.
“It wasn’t always like this… only recently we started to see more and more criminal things with robberies and that kind of thing. First, it was small with a few crops and thing missing, but people started to get robbed more often, especially after dark.
“What they (bandits) do is cut holes in the fences and the barbed wire and walk through the fields to get to the houses nearby where they do their robberies, then they try to hit as many different houses as possible in a single night.
“We really fed up and we made reports this is why we happy that this came and happened. Look I even cut lettuce to give to the police officers to show them how grateful I am for the work they did.”
The farmer said several Venezuelans working for him and other farmers in the area have also been targeted by criminals, with the latest incident happening early on Friday morning when a migrant was attacked as he left his home and his cellphone was stolen.
He said the bandits showed little discretion in who they targeted.
Meanwhile, another farmer in an opposite field pointed to discarded clothing left in a ravine near his crops, which he claimed belonged to the bandits but left behind as they tried to change their appearance to blend in with residents nearby.
The man said his field, which is bordered by barbed wire to the west, was one of those areas used by the bandits to sneak in and stage their attacks before escaping.
“It’s two access roads they take. This area and another track further down the road there. From what I’ve gathered, these guys are coming from Fernando Lane, which is just a few meters away.
“There are a few people who are from outside the area who are coming in, but there’s also a lot of locals involved in this foolishness. They pull gun and thing for farmers already, it’s not nice.”
Crime coming to Cunupia
When contacted, Cunupia Councillor Richard Sukdeo said he was also pleased with the police response to the incident, noting that reports of criminal activity happened in cycles, with intermittent lulls between periodic spikes in crime.
He, however, admitted that the area had gradually become more unsafe.
“Cunupia is becoming an area that isn’t generally safe, as it was about five or six years ago.
“It’s very unpredictable, but the signal it’s sending is that crime is coming into Cunupia because we really have to be very careful, because you can never tell… people cannot at this point in time continue to live as they normally would.
“They would continue to have to look over their shoulder to see what is happening.”
Sukdeo said he felt there was a lack of resources at the Cunupia Police Station to effectively respond to security concerns and hoped that this could be addressed.
Top Cop warns bandits
In voicenotes issued through the TTPS Corporate Communications Unit in the aftermath of the incident, Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro commended police and soldiers for what he described as their “disciplined” response to the incident.
He also extended condolences to the families of those killed in the incident, but maintained that it was evidence the police were capable of addressing criminality.
“Let this stand as a clear message: once you choose violence against law-abiding citizens, the TTPS will find you, pursue and stop you.
“The days of criminals moving with impunity are over. If you invade homes, you will face the full weight of the law. Crime has consequences and the TTPS will ensure that those consequences arrive quickly.”
Guevarro confirmed that as of yesterday afternoon, an active manhunt was underway for two remaining suspects, as he advised residents of Ramnarine Trace, Esmeralda Road, Sampson Road and Charles Trace to be vigilant while securing their homes and report suspicious activity.
While in the area, DCP Operations Suzette Martin was seen coordinating police responses alongside the head of the Criminal Division, ACP Richard Smith.
