By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
NEW AMSTERDAM, BERBICE — More than twelve hours after convicted larceny convict Budhnarine Persaud fled lawful custody, the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) officially confirmed the security breach and announced a formal internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his escape from the New Amsterdam Prison facility.
The delayed institutional confirmation has brought prison supervision protocols under intense scrutiny, with emerging details indicating that the convict walked out through a perimeter access gate actively utilized by civilian construction personnel.
The Prison Service affirmed that administrative and disciplinary inquiries are underway, warning that any custodial rank found guilty of dereliction of duty or negligence will face severe sanctions.
The Escape: Walking Out Past Civilian Construction Traffic
According to official disclosures issued by prison authorities, the escape occurred in broad daylight on the prison compound:
- The Work Detail: Persaud was assigned to an inmate labor party consisting of four prisoners tasked with general labor at the construction site of the new Prison Administrative Building.
- Supervisory Breakdown: The work gang was reportedly operating under the direct supervision of an assigned prison officer when Persaud managed to slip away undetected at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Monday.
- The Shared Civilian Gate: Investigative sources revealed that civilian construction workers regularly enter and exit the administrative worksite through a dedicated access gate inside the prison perimeter. Persaud allegedly walked out through that exact access point without being challenged.
- Familiarity with Movements: Sources confirmed that Persaud had been deployed on the administrative building work detail for roughly a week prior to his escape, affording him sufficient time to observe civilian shift rotations, vehicle entries, and gaps in physical monitoring.
Prior Security Warnings Ignored
The security breach has exposed significant concerns regarding the physical infrastructure and operational protocols governing inmate labor on ongoing prison capital projects:
- Unheeded Security Alerts: Well-placed correctional sources informed HGP Nightly News that senior prison officials had previously conducted on-site inspections of the new administrative building worksite, during which serious concerns were raised regarding inadequate barriers to restrict inmate movement near civilian exit routes.
- Inadequate Segregation: Despite those preliminary warnings, strict physical separation between civilian tradesmen and incarcerated laborers was never enforced, leaving a direct exit conduit open to the perimeter.
- Delayed Public Disclosure: Adding to public safety concerns, the Prison Service waited over twelve hours before officially acknowledging the escape, delaying public notifications and regional alert systems across Berbice.
Manhunt Underway Across Region Five and Six
Joint operational units from the Guyana Prison Service and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have initiated a targeted search across East and West Berbice to apprehend the fugitive:
- Convict Profile: The escapee, Budhnarine Persaud, whose last known address is Lot 101, Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, was serving a 24-month sentence for the offense of simple larceny.
- Scheduled Release: He was officially slated for discharge on November 5, 2027, but now faces additional statutory indictments for escape from lawful custody, which carries additional consecutive prison terms.
Law enforcement authorities are appealing to members of the public who may possess information on Persaud’s whereabouts to contact the nearest police station or prison headquarters, while reminding citizens that harboring a fugitive from justice constitutes an indictable criminal offense.
