Southern Division police are warning the relatives of a man wanted for questioning about the murders of two women to surrender him as their lives may also be in peril. It has been 12 days since police intensified the search for Azad Ali, also known as Joe Mohammed and Goat.
He has been described as a person of interest in the shooting death of Salma Chadee, 19, at her La Paille Village, Caroni, home on January 17. He is also wanted for the murder of his former common-law wife Sherlene Mahangoo-Charles, who was killed in March 2014.
A senior police officer said on Tuesday they believed Ali was being harboured by people close to him as he uses a wheelchair and cannot drive or move around freely. He said one relative told police that Ali had threatened them but he would help him (Ali) if required. He warned that Ali was considered armed and dangerous. He added that if Ali was found at anyone’s home, that person would also be arrested and charged for harbouring a criminal.
“I find this is kind of ridiculous now. The man has no legs to use so he must be getting help. Wherever he is staying, somebody is harbouring him because he is in a chair and he has to be getting food somewhere.”
False reports
Investigators said many people had been giving frivolous information, which seemed an attempt to throw police off the trail. On Tuesday, officers searched eight houses in Gasparillo after an anonymous tip-off led to that area. There have also been reports that Ali left the country and is either in Guyana or Venezuela. Photos of Ali have been circulated to all law enforcement bodies, including the Coast Guard, the officer said.
“We have been getting a lot of tips from people and we are acting on it but people are giving frivolous tip-offs to throw off the police. If people have good information to give us and not a set of hearsay, we will appreciate that.”
Anyone with credible information that can lead to the arrest of Ali can speak directly to Southern Homicide Bureau Inspector Sean Dhilpaul at 652-0495 or CID Inspector Don Gajadhar at 652-2564.