THREE men, including two brothers, suspected to be in the gang of four that staged a daring robbery at the remote agricultural village of Ma Retraite, on the East Bank Berbice over the weekend, appeared yesterday before Magistrate Chandra Sohan at the Albion Court on six joint charges.

Charged are Nigel Henry, called ‘Zip’, 36, of Lot 22 Asylum Street; Jermaine Samuels, alias German, and his brother Quesi, nicknamed ‘Big Worm’, both of Lot 30 Cummingsville , also in New Amsterdam.

Police claim the three on Monday last broke into the home of farmer Sandy Wilson and beat and robbed him and his family. They are also charged with attempting to murder Sandy Wilson during the attack.

In addition, they are charged with having a Taurus revolver and ammunition without having the relevant licences.

Police Inspector Fazil Karimbaksh, prosecuting, opposed bail for the three on the grounds that police are investigating a series of armed robberies and the accused are likely to be further charged.

He said that in addition to the prevalence of the offences, the articles stolen from the Wilsons have not been recovered.

Karimbaskh argued that if bail was allowed, the security of the state could be compromised and justice denied.

The three were charged following intense police investigations in which they were positively identified by the robbery victims.

The Wilsons were robbed of $35,000 and a gold chain valued $10,000 when the gang attacked their home Saturday night.

During the early hours of Sunday morning, the body of Michael Fraser was found in a drain with a single gunshot to the groin, at Gangoo Creek, Berbice, and was linked to another robbery by three armed bandits on Saturday night, at the home of a farmer at Mara, East Berbice.

Police said when Fraser, 26, was shot at, the men were attempting to rob another farmer some time after midnight.

Soon after the discovery of the body, Police also arrested two other suspects, and the owner of a car presumed to be used in the robbery at the home of Sandy Wilson, 49, earlier on Saturday night.

Police reported that bandits with guns and a cutlass, around 22:50h, broke into the home of the farmer, discharged rounds, beat and terrorised family members, and tied up his nephew before making off with $35,000.

The men fled in a waiting car and after being chased by police, slammed into an electric pole at Belle Vue, East Bank Berbice. They abandoned the car and escaped.

Police said that, on being attacked at his home, Wilson put up a spirited fight, but was no match for the men, two of whom had guns and another, a cutlass.

He sustained several cuts to the head in the process, police said.

Police stated that Wilson, his daughter and nephew were asleep in the home, when they were awakened by the noise created as the men barefacedly broke the door down and entered the building.

After being overpowered by the bandits, Wilson was forced to hand over to them, the cash he had locked in a wardrobe. But they did not leave just then. The men proceeded to a locked room occupied by Wilson’s nephew, discharged a round, and then tied him up before exiting.

Police who were alerted chased after the men who were in a car with number plate HB 4301. They later found the car abandoned and damaged, after it had slammed into the electric pole.

Around 06:00h Sunday, acting on information, they searched Gangoo Creek and found the body of Fraser

She could not say what had caused the fire but said it spread rapidly and she had to hurry out of the building.