A 17-year-old schoolboy remains warded in critical condition at hospital yesterday after he was shot and chopped during an argument with two men on Wednesday night. According to police reports, around 9 pm, Michael Ramjit, of Railway Road, Cunupia was walking near his home when two men stopped him.
After a short conversation, one of the men drew a pistol and shot him once in the leg while the other pulled a cutlass and chopped the teen once across his face. The two then drove away in a white Toyota Hilux. Central Division Police took Ramjit to the Chaguanas Health Facility and he was then transfered to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex at Mt Hope.
The teenager was able to identify his attackers to police before having emergency surgery at hospital early yesterday morning. Investigators said the suspects are from Jerningham Junction and their arrest is imminent. Cpl Ken Ali is probing the incident.
Central Division Police have arrested almost two dozen people in the past three weeks in connection with robberies in Chaguanas during the Christmas season.
In their latest exercise on Wednesday, police led by Senior Supt Deodath Dulalchan arrested several robbery suspects from Enterprise, Chaguanas including the nephew of a police Inspector. They will appear before a Chaguanas magistrate early next week after they participate in identification parades which are scheduled for this weekend. Police also recovered four illegal firearms during the exercise.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Dulalchan noted that in keeping with his division's Christmas crime plan, a total of 200 people were arrested in December for offences which ranged from firearms and narcotics possession to robberies and housebreaking and larceny.
Dulalchan said similar anti-crime exercises will be conducted this weekend and in the new year in a bid to reduce crime which has been plaguing residents and businessmen in central Trinidad in recent months.