Two persons remain in custody in Suriname and six others are being held at the Springlands Police Station as investigators try desperately to solve the mysterious abduction and murder of Corentyne businessman Fazal Hoosein whose body was found on Thursday.

Sources told Stabroek News that the two persons who are in custody in Suriname are the owner and captain of the boat that was transporting Hoosein and nine other passengers to a landing at Number 78 Village, Corriverton.

They were reportedly arrested on the port in Suriname on Thursday following the discovery of his remains. Police are still hunting for the ‘Dutch boat’ along with the five masked gunmen who pulled up alongside the passenger boat around 5:30 pm on Wednesday and ordered him into theirs.

Three persons were also apprehended by local police immediately after the body was found, while one was taken into custody on Saturday night and two others on Sunday night.

Police sources told this newspaper that so far no “confessions” have been forthcoming even though they are conducting intense interrogations. They are also pleased with the close collaboration with their Surinamese counterparts.

A post-mortem examination conducted on Saturday indicated that Hoosein, 44, of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, was thrown overboard alive by his attackers. Passengers aboard the boat had related that the men did not take any cargo that was in their possession but directed their attention to Hoosein.

Reports are that after the pirates started firing bullets everyone went down in the boat. The pirates then “jumped into the boat and lifted the caps of some of the passengers and looked at their faces until they recognized Hoosein.

With guns pointing at him they ordered him, while speaking “in Dutch” to get into their boat. The men then demanded everyone hand over their cell phones before removing the engine lead and escaping towards Suriname in the boat which was “very fast.”

Unable to power the boat to get to shore, someone who had an extra cellular phone used it to call for help and another boat subsequently went to their rescue.

Hoosein’s father, Jafar, 73, told Stabroek News that his son may have complied with the gunman because he was concerned for the lives of the other passengers.

He said when he saw the body at the mortuary the hands were tightly bounded in front and his feet were also tied. The attackers used a “fat yellow rope and a fine one to tie me son as if they tie a cow.”

Further he said, “I couldn’t even loose it out with me hands… when the rope come off he hands and feet still had brands from how tight they tie he up.”

He said too that when he “bathe and prepare the body it had black and blue marks all over. There was not a part of his body that they did not beat.” He was also upset with reports that the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition.

Jafar said his son who owned about four fishing boats and was a member of the Number 66 Fish Port Complex sold fish locally as well as in Suriname. He also had to go there at times to collect payments and renew fishing licences.

He said Fazal was employed with a businessman of Number 79 Village and was sent to Suriname to transact business. He however denied that it had anything to do with gold.

Jafar, who was a fisherman and worked at sea for 43 years, said Hoosein, the sixth of nine children, was the only one to follow in his footsteps.

Meanwhile, a resident who said he has been in the ‘backtrack’ business for the past 25 years, said this is the second time that passengers were robbed at sea. He said almost two months ago pirates, armed with a gun and cutlasses, attacked and robbed passengers of their money and other valuables. He is of the opinion that both incidents were “well-planned.”