Point Fortin couple in court on fraud charges

A 42-year-old man and his common-law wife have been granted $75,000 own bail after appearing before a Point Fortin magistrate charged with forgery.

Rashmeer Mohammed, of Egypt Avenue in Point Fortin, was charged with one count of having a forged document.

His common-law wife, Shante Balkaran, 39, of the same address, was charged with the same alleged offence as well as one count of uttering a forged document.

A police statement on Thursday said the two faced the magistrate on Wednesday.

As a bail condition, they are to report to the Point Fortin police station one day of the week before 6 pm.

Reports are between March 1, 2022, and March 31, 2022, two people presented a letter dated November 18, 2021, allegedly from the Commissioner of State Lands in the Ministry of Agriculture Land and Fisheries, Land Management Division to the Point Fortin Borough Corporation.

The two alleged that the Commissioner of State Lands had granted them permission to occupy state land at Egypt Avenue.

However, investigations revealed the letter was forged.

A report was made to the police, and "extensive inquiries" led by acting ASP Bryon Daniel of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) were done between August 2022 and May.

Snr Supt Andy Teewarie and Supt Darin Lewis supervised the investigations.

W/Insp Mc Millan-Mohammed, Sgt Codrington, Cpls Ramkumar and Pitt, PCs Edwards, Subran and Billy and WPCs Loney-Phillip, George-Thomas and Sinnette assisted.

On Wednesday, the police arrested the two, and Cpl Pitt of ACIB laid the charges.