DPP still to advise Police way forward – Deputy Commander

Burnt body of welder

…says “matter is not a clear cut one”

Those responsible for burning the remains of the welder who was found dead near his mining camp even before Police could investigate can only face charges based on the advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The DPP still has the file that was compiled by investigating ranks, and is yet to advise Police on the way forward.
This is according to Deputy Commander of B Division (Berbice), Phillip Azure, who told this publication on Monday that although a month has passed since the welder, Yogindra “Steve” Ramkarran, was discovered lifeless and whose body was burnt by his co-workers, the police are awaiting word from the office of the DPP as to the next step.
However, Azure was unable to say how soon the file will be returned and if those involved in the incident will be charged for perverting the course of justice but he noted that due to the fact that this case is an unusual one, the police have to be properly guided before they can act.
“That file is still up for legal advice. You see some of these matters are not clear cut, we get the facts and investigate and send to the DPP for legal advice and they can give us the direction where we should go. For instance, if there is further investigation to be done, and if so then that investigation would be done,” he explained on Monday.
The dead man, Yogindra “Steve” Ramkarran, was employed by a well-known sawmill owner from Corentyne, Berbice, and is said to have mysteriously died in the interior on July 4 but his co-workers burnt his body after allegedly being instructed to do so by their employer.
Police had acknowledged that Ramkarran’s cause of death was unknown due to the fact that his body was burnt before an autopsy could have been conducted.
However, despite repeated claims by the employees involved that they were instructed by their boss to burn Ramkarran’s body, the sawmill owner continues to deny the allegations.
Crime Chief (ag), Senior Superintendent Michael Kingston had earlier explained that when the police received a report about Ramkarran’s demise, a rank immediately left to investigate.
But due to the distance of the crime scene, it took some time for him to arrive at that location. Kingston had explained that when the police arrived, he found a decomposed body, which he was told was that of Ramkarran’s.
“Indeed the body had begun to decompose. So the police left to go and get assistance and when he returned with the assistance, that is what they had done [burn the body]. The police had no involvement in the burning of that body, none at all, the men in work said they were acting on the instruction of their employer [to burn the body] but he denied this.”
As a result of this, the workers who burnt the body, along with their employer, were arrested but were later released.

Testing on bone sample
Kingston had also stated that although it has been alleged that the ashes from the decomposed body belong to Ramkarran, the necessary testing needs to be conducted to confirm this.
As such, samples of the remains will be tested at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL) to confirm the identity of the dead person.
“We had a crime scene team that went up into the area, we took whatever bone sample was there and samples were also taken from the relatives. That is basically for DNA purposes. We will utilise the services of the (GFSL) lab unless they tell us that they are incapable. But for now, we will utilise the services of the lab and a file has already been compiled and sent for legal advice on this matter.”