The decomposing body of logger Rafeek Khan was found yesterday afternoon in a clump of bushes close to a sandpit in the Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD) area.
The discovery of Khan’s partially decomposed body was made around 1 pm yesterday at Latchmansingh Sand Road, Soesdyke in a clump of bushes, police said.
Khan’s relatives were contacted shortly after by ranks of the Timehri Police Station and he was identified by a camouflage hat, a cigarette lighter and a mobile phone with scotch tape on its face, which were all found at the scene.
His wife, Celine Khan, told this newspaper last evening at the family’s home at Grant Sand Road, Soesdyke, that he left their home around 7:30 am on Tuesday to pick “fat pork for a man who does mine bird.” She said he received a phone call prior to leaving the house. She added that during the day she made several calls to his mobile phone but to no avail and according to her several checks were made in the general area where her husband’s remains were discovered yesterday.
She said that searches were also conducted at areas along the East Bank and she noted that on Wednesday morning she lodged a missing persons report at the Timehri Police Station. Late yesterday, the distraught woman received a phone call from the police and her worst fears were confirmed. She noted that she did not get a chance to view her husband’s remains as the police had already removed the body.
Khan said she did not know of any grievances which the father of her two children may have had with anyone. She said that her husband worked with a logging company at Kwakwani in Region 10 but the company’s operations have been at a standstill since the area was experiencing flooding.
Last evening at the family’s home, relatives and friends gathered to lend support to the grieving widow and her two children; a boy, 17, who is differently-abled, and a 16-year-old girl.
Persons in the area told this newspaper that the logger’s body was discovered by three boys who were traversing the area around lunchtime yesterday. They said that the area where his remains were found is in close proximity to where a 10-year-old boy’s body was found several weeks ago.
The lad, Derick Paul Deonarine, was found lying face down close to the sand pit and his death remains a mystery to date as persons noted that his head was crushed while his body appeared as if it was left along the roadway. Other reports suggest that he had drowned in a sandpit, a resident noted yesterday.
Another resident noted that the sandpit near where the discovery of the man’s body was made had been a preferred area for car thieves to destroy vehicles and she noted that families have told their loved ones “whatever you see, say nothing.” She said that gunshots can be heard at the location on numerous occasions, especially at nights and, according to her, there had been reports of human bones being found in the sandpit but they usually go unreported.
Today, relatives are expected to view Khan’s body, which is lying at the Le Repentir Mortuary. A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on his remains to determine the cause of death.