(Trinidad Express) – Seeta Singh, 20, fears that police may not be able to protect her from a gang of men who shot her and burnt her children to death on Tuesday.
Singh was at the time speaking with the media at the home of relatives where she spent the most of Wednesday hiding. Recalling what had happened Singh said her family, who lives at Playground Avenue, Uquire Road, Freeport in central Trinidad had on Monday received threats from men in the area. Singh said the threats had been going on for some time and involved a dispute over land.
Singh said on Monday around 10 pm, she was awakened by the sounds of gunshots and the sudden appearance of three men of their 20s, inside her home. However, police and neighbours said the incident happened closer to 1 am Tuesday. Singh said the men started pouring gasoline throughout the small board house she shared with her common-law husband for the last eight years, Ashook Ramdial, 34, and the couple’s two children Sangeeta Ramdial, 5, and Sarah Ramdial, 3. The distraught woman sat on an overturned pigtail bucket and recalled that the men may have also thrown gasoline on her feet and flashed a torch light in the house since she has no electricity.
Singh said Ramdial, a labourer, fled the scene and hid in some bushes to escape the gunmen and was up to yesterday evening assisting the Freeport police in their investigations. Singh said she received two bullets; one to her left shoulder and the other to her right hand that has been put in a cast because the bullet entered in the region of her wrist and exited near her elbow. She was taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre and later transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where she was treated and discharged. Singh said Richard Ramdial, 21, a relative of her husband, was also at the house when the assassins broke in. She said Richard, also a labourer, may have received five shots about his body and taken to the San Fernando General Hospital. The two managed to make it out of the blazing house.
Singh said all that remained of her two precious daughters were small pieces of bones lodged in the ashes. Singh said while she wants justice, she believes that nothing would come out of the investigation. Singh described her daughters as happy children as she held back the tears “I cry so much for the day” Singh said the children’s pet dogs Blackie, Spotty and Whitey also perished in the flames. Her husband’s car was also burnt. Singh said all the photos of her children were also burnt and all she has now are memories. Sherry Ramdial, 32, the children’s aunt’ said the family was appealing for some form of financial assistance for the funeral, since Singh and her husband are poor.
