“Best friends” still in Police custody, DPP to determine if charges will be laid

– father decries way Police handled report

As investigations continue into the death of Harris Persaud, whose body was found floating in the Demerara River on Friday, the young man’s two best friends remain in Police custody pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions as to whether they will face criminal charges.

Persaud, 19, of Lot 21 Granny Field, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara, went missing on Wednesday last, and his body was found floating in the Demerara River in the vicinity of Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara on Friday afternoon. The post mortem revealed that the young man died by drowning.
The young man was last seen on Wednesday by his relatives when he left home to attend classes at the University of Guyana. The Police had arrested the teen’s two friends with whom he was last seen, and they are still in Police custody awaiting the decision whether or not they will be charged.
The young men told Police that Persaud was swimming with them behind the Marriott Hotel, when a wave swept him away. They claimed that they panicked, and disposed of his clothing and other belongings. They subsequently took the Police to the place where they dumped his clothing and bag, however; his cellular phone, iPad and a large sum of cash are still missing.
Meanwhile, the dead man’s father Nandkumar Persaud, is voicing dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Police handled his report.
He explained that on Thursday morning, he went to lodge a missing person’s report at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters at Eve Leary, Kingston, and was sent away being told to return after 08:00h. He stated that he was also turned away from the Brickdam Police Station and told to go Sparendaam Police Station.
“I am very frustrated with the way they had me pushing around,” he stated, adding, “I don’t like the way they handled the report at all”.