The employer and a colleague of the miner whose decomposed body was found in a shallow grave at Karrau Backdam, Mazaruni, Region Seven, on Monday last, are expected to be charged for murder some time next week.
This is according to Police “F” Division Commander, Rabindranauth Budhram.
“We were advised to charge for murder in the shallow grave matter,” he informed Inews on Friday.
On April 17, 2017, the remains of the miner who has been identified as “Kevin” also known as “Fine Thyme” was discovered.
Police confirmed that the man’s body bore several chop wounds and two men- the employer and colleague- were taken into custody to assist with the probe.
Reports are that on April 7, the now dead man and the duo went to the mining pit to “wash down” gold and went for a drink after.
However, in the midst of consuming alcohol, the owner of the mining camp who is also Kevin’s employer, accused him of stealing raw gold. This led to an initial altercation which was reportedly subdued by the intervention of those around.
The employer and the employee reportedly went their separate ways only to return to the same mining camp shortly after.
Inews understands that it was at the camp that Kevin’s employer reportedly grabbed a cutlass and dealt him several blows to the body while he was asleep in the hammock.
Kevin’s colleague, who was present at the camp during the ordeal, told Police that owing to the chop wounds, Kevin fell out of the hammock, but he (colleague) was too “drunk” to help him and might have fallen asleep.
The colleague said that upon waking up he did not see Kevin and thought that he had left the camp due to the beating he endured the night before. He told ranks that it was not until the body was found that he realized Kevin was dead.
Commander Budhram told media operatives that following the discovery of the body the owner of the mining camp and his employee were taken into custody for questioning as neither of them had made a report of the incident.
Police believe that the story told by the miner in custody had some loopholes and maintained the view that the two men might have buried the man’s body after they realised that he had stopped breathing. (Ramona Luthi)
