(Trinidad Express) Hours before his 30th birthday, Nirmal Baldeo was found dead, throat slit, in the back seat of a car parked at Dow Village, California.
Less than 12 hours later, not far away, mother of four Sohanie Ramsundar, was also found with her throat slit. Her husband, the suspected killer, committed suicide a short while after.
Last week, less than a mile away from Baldeo’s home, fisherman Satyam Nanan, was gunned down at a fishing depot near his Claxton Bay home.
The killings happened in an area not subjected to any curfew, but residents believe the area, plagued by drugs and gun-running, should be declared a crime hot spot and a curfew imposed as part of the nationwide State of Emergency.
Ironically, it was the 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew imposed in San Fernando that prevented the anguished family of Baldeo from going to the San Fernando General Hospital’s mortuary to make a positive identification of the dead man.
Baldeo’s cousin, Sunil Lalloo, said the deceased’s mother, Seeta, and other relatives, had to wait several more hours until the mortuary opened at 8 a.m., thereby delaying police investigations in the matter.
An invitation for Baldeo’s “birthday bash” on popular networking site Facebook was yesterday replaced by a memorial page for friends expressing their condolences.
Baldeo was employed as a plant inspector at Caribbean Petrochemical Inspection Services (CPIS) contracted to work at PCS Nitrogen Ltd at Point Lisas.
His body was found in a company vehicle, a white AD Wagon, at Seventh Street, Dow Village, near Point Lisas.
The body was lying across the back seat of the car.
Yesterday police held for questioning a 29-year-old suspect, of California.
Lalloo told Express that Baldeo left work earlier than usual and went to a barber at Soledad Road, Claxton Bay, for a haircut. While waiting there, around 6 p.m., Baldeo received a phone call and left, but told the barber he intended to return.
However, within two hours an anonymous caller contacted the Couva Police Station and reported that a white AD Wagon was seen parked at Dow Village, California, with the engine running and the headlights on.
Police were also told that a man was seen exiting the car and running into nearby bushes. Officers arrived on the scene and observed Baldeo with a wound to the neck. The cellphone on which it is believed he received that call could not be found, police said.
Baldeo was planning to celebrate his 30th birthday at club Space La Nouba at La Romaine with a “curfew party” tonight from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow.
Lalloo said: “Nirmal was a non-confrontational person. He would not have gotten himself in bad company or with anyone who would have put his life in danger. He does not even consume alcohol. He is a responsible person and is always the designated driver. It is hard for us to understand anyone having a motive to kill him.”
An autopsy was conducted on Baldeo’s body yesterday.
Homicide investigator Sgt Anderson Parriman is working the case.