Even though there have been two arson attacks on properties used by murdered Pest Control Plus boss Mohammed Baksh, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud says that investigators are no closer to cracking the case.
Persaud, in a telephone interview with Stabroek News on Tuesday, noted that only the man’s relatives stood to benefit from the destruction of the properties, which were insured. He could not say how much money was at stake.
Further, Persaud indicated that the murder is being investigated separately from the arson attacks, since investigators have not found a link between them. Since Baksh’s murder, he noted, his business has been closed. “There are no developments in the murder and in relation to the arson we are still investigating,” he said.
Meanwhile, Baksh’s brother, Mohammed Bacchus, told Stabroek News that he was told by police that a suspect was held but he had to be released because he provided an alibi for the night of the shooting.
Bacchus added he was unsure whether his brother’s murder was linked to the recent fires at the properties he had used for business. At present, he said, the business is being handled by his brother’s widow.
The woman, he told Stabroek News, “has ceased all operations” and they are returning the rented properties that were torched to their respective owners.
Baksh, also known as Mohammed Shahabudeen Bacchus, was shot multiple times around 10 pm on June 15, as he sat eating and drinking with friends at the grill located at the corner of Quamina and Thomas streets.
Reports are that two armed men walked up to the table where Baksh, 43, of Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara was and opened fire.
He sustained two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the hand. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital but died the following morning while being prepared for emergency surgery.
A businessman who had a matter with Baksh before the High Court was subsequently detained. The man was released on station bail several days later. Police are said to be looking for a second person.
Almost one week after the murder, unknown persons attempted to torch a property in Prashad Nagar that Baksh had rented. Fire was set in about six places outside the building, mostly on wooden pallets. Fire fighters responded promptly with two tenders and a tanker after receiving a report of the fire and they were able to contain the blaze. There was a small amount of damage to the interior which housed a bond, a showroom and an office.
Then several days later, an attempted was made on a second property, located on Sheriff Street opposite Club Monaco.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle had told this newspaper that a fire was set at the back of the building at three different points and some flammable liquid was found at the scene. He had said the fire service received a call around 3.25 am and responded immediately with three fire tenders. The fire was extinguished quickly and as such there was minor damage to the back of the building.
