THE police will on Monday begin excavating several suspected burial sites in Tivoli Gardens that were detected by two sniffer dogs brought in from the United States on Wednesday.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green declined to say how many sites were detected, but said the information would be made public as soon as the excavations began.

“Once we start digging and we confirm that bodies are indeed at these locations, then I can say. I don’t want to set off any alarms until that process has started,” Green told the Observer yesterday.

The dogs are a part of a search team brought to the island to assist investigators in their search following the discovery of a corpse in a shallow grave in a section of the community called ‘Rasta City’ three weeks ago.

That body was found kneeling with its hands and feet bound and mouth gagged. It had several gunshot wounds.

Police said they found two 9mm shell casings, and a round of ammunition used in a AK 47 assault rifle, at that scene.

They suspect more bodies could be buried in the area, and they have extended their search in that section of the community.

The discovery of the shallow grave followed the revelation by the security forces that they found buildings in the community which were believed to be used as torture chambers, and water tunnels, which they suspect may have been used as escape routes by criminals during the joint police/military incursion in the community a month ago.

The security forces stormed the community on May 24 after gunmen aligned with former community leader Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke tried to prevent his arrest to face drug and gun-running charges in the United States.

The thugs, who had blocked the entrances to the West Kingston community, traded bullets with the cops. More than 70 civilians as well as a soldier were killed in the gunfights. Two policemen were also killed by thugs as violence broke out in other parts of the city, causing commercial and other activities to come to a standstill for two whole days.

Coke, who managed to sneak out of Tivoli Gardens during the incursion, was arrested on Tuesday and extradited to the United States on Thursday. The former area leader waived his right to an extradition trial in Jamaica.

The security forces are, however, still maintaining a heavy presence in his former stronghold.