Two men from the Essequibo Coast are facing the weight of the law this week in separate break-and-enter cases – one resulting in conviction and the other remanded and prompting a broader police investigation into a string of reported burglaries that have rattled communities across the region.
David Joseph, a 37-year-old labourer of Queenstown Village known as “Naiya,” was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of breaking into the home of 38-year-old Poonraj Lachman, a supervisor attached to Caricom Rice Mill.
Vishaul Anauge
The offence occurred on February 1 at Lachman’s residence at Lot 67 Queenstown Public Road. Joseph, who had been on remand, appeared virtually before the Suddie Magistrate’s Court via Zoom from the Lusignan Prison. His case was heard by Magistrate Tamieka Clarke, who after considering the evidence, handed down the sentence.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, 27-year-old Vishaul Anauge, known as “Ghan,” of Adventure Village, was brought before the same court this week, as police pressed multiple charges stemming from a wave of alleged burglaries across several villages.
Anauge, an unemployed man, was remanded to prison after appearing virtually before Magistrate Clarke. He faces allegations connected to several break-ins reported by residents of Supenaam, Adventure, Pomona, and Good Hope. The victims, mostly women between the ages of 22 and 61, have told police they were each targeted in a series of night-time break-ins that left them shaken and fearful.
Anauge is also accused of committing burglary at the residence of a 57-year-old man in Adventure Village and is facing a charge of simple larceny. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and is scheduled to return to court on May 5 for disclosure of statements.
David Joseph
His arrest followed what police described as a dangerous confrontation. Officers said Anauge attempted to evade capture while armed with a cutlass, prompting them to use force. He was reportedly shot during the altercation and later taken into custody.
Sources close to the investigation have indicated that several more charges are likely to be laid against him, as detectives continue to probe a broader pattern of burglaries believed to be connected to the accused.
The back-to-back cases have brought some sense of relief to residents, many of whom say they had grown tired of living in fear.
