Rose Hall man claims Police assaulted, arrested him after he refused to pay bribe

A Rose Hall, Berbice man Monday denied that he neither organised nor attended a horse racing event and accused the Police of assault and wrongful arrest after he refused to pay them a bribe.

The man in question is Nazam Khan of Fingal Street, Rose Hall Town. The Police showed up at his home Sunday and made a spurious claim that he had organised a horse racing event but said they will not arrest him if he paid them $20,000.

Khan explained that on Sunday morning he went to take one of his racehorses to exercise at the estate dam, aback of Portuguese Quarter, Port Mourant and had no involvement in the said race.

About 30 minutes after he returned home, the Police showed up at his premises saying he was wanted at the station; it was then that he claimed the Police assaulted him.

“…them chuck me up, pull me out from the yard and carry me to the jeep,” he stated.

Khan said he was taken to the Police station and was placed on $10,000 station bail after being charged with having an unbranded animal and resisting arrest.

The Police have denied Khan’s explanation.

They claim that they received information about a horserace at the said dam where Khan alleged that he went to exercise his horse and when they (the Police) showed up the crowd had already dispersed.

They did not see a race in progress or that Khan was part of it.

The Police explained that such events are in direct contravention to the COVID-19 order as issued by the Ministry of Health.