Two more charged, remanded for Arimu Backdam’s double murder and $37M gold heist

A 44-year-old taxi driver and a 20-year-old miner were on Tuesday remanded to prison over Arimu Backdam’s double murder and $37 million gold heist, which occurred last month.

Those charged are Teddy Thomas, a taxi driver of Itaballi Landing, and Paul Derrick, a miner of Lot 20 Onderneeming Sandpit, Essequibo Coast.

The men appeared before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed in the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

Thomas was charged with murder in the course or furthering to a robbery, while Derrick was slapped with accessory after the fact to murder.

Both men were not required to plead to the indictable charge and were remanded to prison until May 15, 2024.

Last week, Travis Fredericks, a 32-year-old miner of Lot 287 Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), and Fernando Fredericks, a 28-year-old miner from the same address, were charged with accessory after murder.

It was reported that on March 03, 2024, Zaheer Sheriff, a 50-year-old dredge owner “washed down” 102 ounces of raw gold valued at $37 million and left his camp with his porter Donovan Washington on an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) en route to Bartica.

However, five minutes after Sheriff left, his General Manager, Joel Stephen, 39, told crime sleuths that he heard several loud explosions, which he suspected to be gunshots.

As a result, he said he went to make checks in the area, and about 500 meters away from the camp, he found Sheriff and Washington lying in the trail with gunshot injuries about their bodies.

He also said that he observed that both of Sheriff’s firearms - a .32 pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun, and his gold were missing. He later made a report to the Bartica Police Station.

Police arrived on the scene, and Sheriff’s body was examined. Police said he was shot in his right upper chest, upper right thigh, upper right arm, and left upper back.

On the other hand, Police said Washington was shot to his lower abdomen, left chest, left shoulder, left hand, and left elbow, with four wounds to the right thigh, two to the left thigh, and one to his back.

The scene was processed, and one .32 magazine with eight live matching rounds, seven 9mm spent shells, and three .32 spent shells were found.