Raghoo’s Bar shut down after sexual assault, egged on by DJ

A bar located at the Soesdyke Junction, East Bank of Demerara (EBD) has been shut down by Police following a disturbing incident involving the sexual assault of a young woman, which was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
The video, which surfaced Thursday evening, sparked outrage after it showed a female, reportedly of Amerindian descent, being violated in full view of several onlookers. Individuals were seen filming the assault instead of intervening, while the DJ reportedly encouraged the perpetrator to continue the lewd acts.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, condemned the incident in a public statement on Friday, calling the footage “most reprehensible.”
“It was most reprehensible to see persons filming the incident rather than helping this woman, and the DJ encouraging the perpetrator to perform lewd acts on the victim,” Dr Persaud stated. “I immediately alerted the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Human Services has been collaborating with them to address this reprehensible incident.”
The Ministry of Human Services has since pledged full support to the victim, while also urging members of the public not to share the video, citing that doing so would further violate the victim’s rights.
Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Ministry also issued a statement expressing deep concern over the circulating videos and confirmed that the GPF has launched a formal investigation into the incident. Officers from Regional Division 4B are leading the probe. The bar, identified as Raghoo’s Bar, has been closed indefinitely as investigations continue. The owner, Omesh Raghoo, is currently assisting police with their inquiries.
“The Guyana Police Force takes incidents of this nature very seriously and remains committed to ensuring justice is served under the law,” the police said in a statement.
Police have appealed to members of the public to refrain from spreading the video and instead share any relevant information with law enforcement. Witnesses are encouraged to contact the 4B Divisional Headquarters at Diamond, EBD or report to the nearest police station.
Dr Persaud also issued a call urging that “I call on citizens to be public-spirited and not just record these things on their phones, but offer help and report these serious incidents. We continue to work and collaborate to address this heinous act.”
An investigation has been launched.