Rustlers strike at Claxton Bay

RESIDENTS of Macaulay Village in Claxton Bay continue to suffer at the hands of rustlers who steal and slaughter their live stock.  Yesterday, 70-year-old Pooran Kunjebe-harry and his wife Subhagia Kunjebeharry, 55, of Cement Line, Macaulay Village, Claxton Bay made the horrible discovery of their cow slaughtered some distance from where it was tied at Lalloo Trace E, Macaulay.

Around 6 am, Kunjebeharry’s wife went to untie the cow and found it missing, she grew quite worried. She immediately returned home to tell her husband. Minutes later the elderly husband and wife along with their 26-year-old daughter, Marla Sankar went back to where the cow was tied and started searching. The three family members combed the area  and eventually ended up half a mile away into a hilly area. It was there that they found the remains of the slaughtered animal which was tied to a blood-stained iron post. The guts, foetus and tail of the cow were all near the post.

Around 8:30 am they reported the matter to the nearby St Margaret’s Police Station. Three police officers from the police station among them PC’s Reid and Fridaye visited the house of the family shortly after midday. The three officers along with some of the family members drove to where the carcass was discovered earlier. While searching the area one of the police men found the head of the cow in the near-by bushes 25 metres away. The rope with which the animal was tied was also found.

Another resident of the area Vaughn Lewis, 31, also said that last Sunday three of his lifestock -  a cow, a bull and a heifer were stolen. He estimated the loss at around $7,000. Kunjebeharry recalled seeing four strange men near to where the cow was grazing on Thursday afternoon. He said that he thought they worked in the  area. Some residents said that rustlers familiar with the area usually steal  and butcher the animal then sell the meat. They said the rustlers have unlimited access since there are many means of entry to the unprotected land. The elderly Kungebeharry, deeply saddened, had to be comforted by his relatives. The lifestock was valued at near $4,000. PC Reid of the St Margaret’s Police Station is conducting enquiries.