By NALINEE SEELAL Saturday, October 4 2008

A POLICEMAN from the Homicide Investigations Bureau escaped death early yesterday morning when he was shot at by two men in dark clothing.

PC Che De Silva was supposed to give evidence in the preliminary inquiry of Rishard Ricky Mohammed, 53, of Curepe who was beaten to death between October 16 and 17 last year at his Curepe businessplace.

A Diego Martin teen, Richardo Nicholas,18, is charged with the murder and the preliminary inquiry was due to begin yesterday at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court. But it was postponed.

Reports revealed that at about 2 am yesterday, PC De Silva, 34, was driving to his Wallerfield home when on reaching Aripo Farm, two men dressed in dark clothing alighted from an Almera motor car and blocked the vehicle De Silva was driving.

They fired shots at the officer who managed to make a U turn and drove away. He drove to the Pinto Police Post where he made a report.

A search was carried out for the suspects to no avail. Police investigators told Newsday they have information that members of a Diego Martin gang may have been involved in the attempted murder of PC De Silva.

Sources revealed that two other homicide officers involved in a high profile murder trial (Vindra Naipaul) have received death threats and a total of six homicide officers have received threats to their lives.

A senior homicide officer said yesterday, “naturally we are concerned by all of this, but we will not be fazed by these or any other threats.”