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Woman abducted and sodomized in Dangriga

GeneralWoman abducted and sodomized in Dangriga

DANRGRIGA, Thurs. Jan. 29, 2015–A woman’s worst nightmare became a reality when she was abducted, tied up, raped and sodomized by two men on Sunday night, January 25.

The police took the woman, 25, to the Dangriga Hospital, where she was examined by a doctor, who certified that she had been sodomized.

Police carried out a quick investigation which led them to identify the culprits as two men, who are known to police. They are Robert Taylor, 22, of Monument Site, Dangriga, who has been arrested and charged with rape, aggravated assault, theft of a motor vehicle, abduction and robbery, and a second man, Shane Bennett of Dangriga, whom police have not yet arrested. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Rodwell Arzu was also arrested, after he fired at police when police tried to arrest the two men.

Arzu was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. He was taken to the Dangriga Magistrate Court and was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March 30.

Taylor was also taken to the Dangriga Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was arraigned on the array of charges that have been brought against him. No plea was taken from him and he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March 30.

The woman reported to police that at about 8:00 Sunday night, she was going home, to the Benguche area of Dangriga Town, in a red car that was being driven by her friend.

They were travelling on Front Street, and made a right turn and were travelling towards the Casa Bridge near the Benguche area when suddenly, they heard a loud bang.

Her friend stopped the vehicle and got out to see what was happening, and at that time, two men came up to the vehicle from the bushes near the roadside. They were armed with a knife and a gun.

The man with the pistol pointed it at the driver and ordered him back into the vehicle, while the bandit with the knife placed the knife to the woman’s neck.

The woman was then tied up in the vehicle, and the assailants ordered her friend to drive the vehicle to the beach near the cemetery.

At the beach, the vehicle was stopped and the bandits tied the driver up in the vehicle. They then took turns raping and sodomizing the woman.

At the end of the ordeal, the man and the woman were taken out of the vehicle and the two attackers escaped out of the area in the vehicle.

The man and the woman, who were still tied up, managed to loosen the knots, and they went to the police, where they made a report.

The woman reported that she had not been robbed, and that the vehicle, which was her friend’s property, was the only thing that had been stolen. No other items had been taken from her friend.

Police reported that on Sunday night, after they received reports of the rape and the stolen vehicle, they went on the search for the vehicle and went to the compound of a primary school located off George Price Drive, where they saw a red 4-door vehicle in the school compound, which matched the description of the vehicle that was reported stolen by the owner.

As they were approaching the red car, a blue Trooper pulled up and a man who was in the Trooper got out and went to the red car.

Police then saw Robert Taylor, Jr., and Shane Bennett get out of the Trooper and go to the red car.

Police shouted at the three men who were at that point by the red car, not to move.

 One of the men then fired a shot at them, and thereafter, all three of them ran back into the Trooper and drove off, abandoning the red car.

Police immediately set chase and caught up with the Trooper near Teachers Street in Dangriga.

Robert Taylor, Jr., and Shane Bennett exited the Trooper, after which Bennett pointed a 9mm pistol at the officers and fired several shots, and the officers returned fire.

One of the bullets hit the emergency light of the police vehicle, then Taylor also pulled out a handgun and pointed it in the direction of the officers, but did not fire.

The Trooper then sped off again, without Bennett and Taylor, who had escaped into the area. The officers continued the chase and caught up with the Trooper on an unknown street in the New Site area.

In an interview with Amandala, police reported that when Bennett and Taylor ran away, the officers chose to continue their pursuit of the Trooper. When they were able to stop the Trooper, they found the driver, Arzu, alone in the vehicle, with an injury to his foot. He was taken to the police station, where he was identified as Rodwell Arzu. He had been grazed by a gunshot when police returned fire at the man who was shooting at them.

Arzu was arrested and charged for aggravated assault and was taken to the Southern Regional Hospital for treatment for his injury. Afterward, he was released back into police custody.

Police then began their hunt for Shane Bennett and Robert Taylor.

Police said that Taylor was arrested in Dangriga on Monday, and their search continues for Bennett.

The red car and the Trooper were taken to the police station compound, and the car was returned to the owner, who was the companion of the female rape victim.

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