They visited Brickdam Police Station on Tuesday last to follow up on a statement made at another police station two days before. But without being given the simple opportunity to offer their account, three security officers were placed in the lockup and told they have to remain there for 72 hours.
This is the account given by the security personnel who reportedly made businessman Parmeshwar Jagmohan aka “Joe” feel unsafe.
During an exclusive interview with Guyana Standard, Cleon Jack, Elijah Cusbert and Imran Khan said they were treated unfairly and made to feel like criminals by Assistant Superintendent, Chabinauth Singh.
When providing their account to Guyana Standard, the men cross referenced what was seen on footage in their possession, some of which have been making rounds on social media.
An initial media report of this incident indicated that the three men were arrested after Jagmohan noticed them standing around and looking at him in an “intimidating manner.” That same report said that the men hurried to their vehicle after Jagmohan raised an alarm and started videoing them.
The men confirmed to Guyana Standard that they indeed hurried to their vehicle but this was after noticing the “above the law” sort of behavior exhibited by Jagmohan. “We didn’t want any trouble and as soon as it became obvious that Joe was drunk and acting reckless, we went outside.”
The men said that on December 30, 2022, they accompanied their employer to HardRock café. They remained outside while their employer, who is a blood relative to Jagmohan, went inside the café and joined friends.
Shortly after 11:00pm, Jagmohan arrived at Hard Rock Café in the company of several others.
Not so long after the arrival of Jagmohan, Jack’s employer asked to be escorted home. The employer had arranged some food to be taken away but did not want to wait until it was finished being prepared. He told the men that they can return for it after escorting him home.
The men said that when they returned to HardRock Joe was still there.
They noticed Jagmohan’s security officers “looking at us in an aggressive way.” The men said that it was clear that Jagmohan and others in his company were under the influence. “In addition to the stares, they were getting loud so we all decided to wait for the food outside.”
The men said that while they were walking out, they noticed Jagmohan walking behind them while recording a video. He was in the company of Ryan Gaspar who was also armed.
The men said that they then proceeded to the vehicle to wait for the food there.
Jack told Guyana Standard that heading to the vehicle they noticed a Guyana Police Force patrol vehicle stopped close by. Meanwhile, Jagmohan positioned themselves outside HardRock.
As soon as the Guyana Police Force patrol vehicle left, “a white armoured vehicle belonging to Jagmohan, pulled up very close to our left side and Joe opened the front door of his vehicle.” The men said that Jagmohan was armed with a gun in his right hand and was staring into the vehicle.
This sort of antagonistic behavior continued for some time with Jagmohan brandishing his gun and his driver flipping the lights in the men’s faces.
Concerned that the behavior was becoming worse by the minutes, Jack said that they chose to leave the premises. But Jagmohan and cohorts decided to chase after them.
Thinking that they were now vulnerable, the trio said they took a strategic route to the Turkeyne Police Station. “We drove everywhere we knew have CCTV”.
The chase continued until the vicinity of Dennis Street.
The men said that after realizing that they were no longer being followed, they decided to hold off on making a report considering the blood relation between their employer and Jagmohan. But the next day, their employer told them that they should provide the police with written statements. A report was made at the Turkeyne Police Station and a statement was provided.
But by Tuesday, at Brickdam, the police decided that “we were the bad guys.” The men said that they began feeling as if the harassment was only started by Jagmohan and the police were continuing it. “The nightmare continued on Tuesday when we were made to feel as if we were criminals.”
The men said that they spent over an hour in the lockups before they were placed on $50,000 bail each. “This was only because boss lawyered up, because the intention was to keep us there for as long as 72 hours.”
The men said that the worst part of it all is that the police appear one-sided. “We made a report that is far more serious and we provided evidence to the police. Not just word of mouth, we provided video evidence but the police are not investigating our report. Are we not Guyanese as well? Are we not entitled to the same protection? If Joe can have us arrested for making him feel scared, just by standing around, then what should happen to him based on the evidence we provided?”
