(Trinidad Express) Mother of four, Sohanie Ramsundar, was found dead in her bedroom yesterday, with her throat slit.
Hours later, the body of her husband, Arjoon Balkaran, was found floating in a nearby river. Police suspect he hanged himself from a tree on the river bank but the branch broke.
Ramsundar, 36, was found by her 15-year-old son around 1 p.m.
The killing happened at Teelucksingh Street East, Dow Village, California, not far from the scene of Thursday night’s murder of Nirmal Baldeo, who was found dead in the back seat of a vehicle, with his throat slit. The killings are likely not related, police said.
Ramsundar and her children are Guyanese nationals.
They came to Trinidad two years ago, and moved in with Balkaran, a 41-year-old labourer with a company on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate.
The family lived in a house smaller than a freight container, and made of plywood.
Ramsundar’s 15-year-old son, who works at a machine shop in the area, told relatives that he came home to find his mother lying dead at the side of the bed, with one hand clenched and lying across the chest.
Neighbours said the couple would often be heard quarreling.
A month ago, Balkaran set fire to the house during a fight, the Express was told.
The house was rebuilt.
Marilyn Jerard, who lives close by, said that on Thursday night she heard the two arguing “and we had to throw some big stone on the roof” so the couple would stop.
The argument, police were told, was over money and the couple’s sexual relations.
Jerard said, “Around nine this morning, my daughter saw (Balkaran) heading to the cane field with blood on his clothes. She asked him for a cigarette and he said he had none on him. He say he had to go back home and change his clothes and when he return he would give her one.”
Police said around 2.30 p.m. yesterday they found Balkaran’s body floating about half-mile from the house.
Homicide officers and Couva police visited the scene.
