A 16-year-old Anna Catherina boy hanged himself after he was allegedly threatened by welfare officers over the death of his 15-year-old girlfriend who reportedly hanged herself three weeks ago in her Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo home.
Safraz Sattaur, who had earlier been seen talking with three persons believed to be Ministry of Education welfare officers, was found hanging in his bedroom on Friday afternoon by his parents when they arrived back from the city.
When Stabroek News contacted Minister of Education Priya Manickchand yesterday about the allegation that the welfare officers had threatened Sattaur, she said she was unaware of the issue and will look into it.
Sattaur’s grieving mother, Nadira, told Stabroek News yesterday that she and her husband had left Sattaur at home alone on Friday morning while they travelled to Georgetown to conduct business.
Around 14:00 hrs on Friday, a few villagers who had gathered opposite the Sattaurs’ home to do a ‘bush cook’ saw three persons, who had exited a Ministry of Education vehicle, talking to Sattaur outside his yard.
One of the villagers told this newspaper that he had approached the group and noticed that Sattaur appeared distressed.
“When I go up to them, they stop talking till I move off and then they continue. A couple minutes later I see the ministry vehicle drive out of the street,” the man recalled. He said he and another man then went over to Sattaur and inquired what it was the officers had wanted.
“We tell he that the broth done cook and I see he lil worried. I put my hand around he and he was trembling. I ask him what happen and he said that dem people threaten he and tell he that he gah go to court for the matter due to Natasha,” the man said. He added that he told the young man not to worry and to go with them to eat but he refused. “He tell me that he had to watch a movie because he ga finish it out before he eat. I tell he okay. That’s the last time I see he… He was a good boy. Quiet. Fifteen minutes later he father dem come home,” the villager, who was visibly upset, said.
When Sattaur’s parents arrived home they found the doors locked and they called out for him. “We got no response. I call dem boys on the road to climb up and see if he sleeping but they didn’t see him,” Sattaur’s mother said.
She then asked the boys to break open the downstairs door. “When we break it we didn’t see him so we start to search for him. When we went upstairs his door was locked and I call out fuh he but he ain’t answering,” Sattaur’s mother, Nadira started to weep as she recalled finding her son.
She said that after she had received no response from her son she begged her husband and the boys to break open his bedroom door. “I see him hanging there. He tek a bed sheet and hang he self,” she wept.
The woman said she was later told by villagers that her son had received a visit from Ministry of Education welfare officers earlier that day.
She said her son had been shaken by the death of his girlfriend, Natasha Nazamudeen who had reportedly hanged herself in her bedroom on December 18. “He cry a lot for her,” Nadira said, “but then I see he start to get better. He de laughing. The morning before I left he ask me to bring back roti and fish cake for him and two movie. He said that when I come home the two ah we gon watch it. He was so happy.”
Sattaur’s parents are demanding justice for what had happened to him. “De welfare had no right coming and threatening him. Dey had no right questioning him for nothing if dey didn’t have his parents’ consent. That was wrong and justice must be served. Dese people pushed him by threatening him…. Let dem check de girl mother she playing a good role,” Sattaur’s grandmother said angrily. She related also that Natasha’s mother had called them after he was found hanging to inform them that welfare officers would be paying a visit.
“Is she send dem. Dey questioning her and she want drag everyone in with she. She tell dem where he living and tell dem lies about him mek dem threaten he,” the grandmother continued.
Sattaur’s parents said they recalled their son telling them that the girl’s mother had called him and asked if Natasha had ever told him anything strange.
“Safraz told us that Natasha had told him that she wanted to go and live with her father. The same porter boy that came and remove Safraz tell us that when he see the girl body she was the first dead he see that hang she self and ain’t get no mark around her neck,” they said.
Nazamudeen’s father had told Stabroek News in an interview that he believed his daughter was murdered and he wanted a thorough investigation into her death.
He was convinced that his daughter had not hanged herself because she did not appear suicidal.
He said his suspicions were confirmed when he was told by the pathologist that his daughter had been strangled and also when relatives discovered marks of violence about her body while preparing it for burial. “I was told about the marks on her skin and I later heard that that she mother use to beat her bad,” Mohamed Nazamudeen told this newspaper.
When Stabroek News visited Nita Afaghani, the mother of the dead girl, yesterday, she announced that she had found her daughter’s suicide note “a few days ago” and had taken it to the Leonora Police Station on Friday last.
She said Natasha had written that she was tired of life and had decided to kill herself because no one had time for her and that they must tell her father that his wish was granted.
Afaghani claimed that Natasha’s relationship with her father was “dysfunctional”.
She also stated that she believed Sattaur and her daughter had issues in their relationship, which consequently led to her death. “We find a text in Natasha phone from the boy that said he sorry for what he did,” the mother claimed.
She denied that she had sent the welfare officers to Sattaur’s home.
She admitted though that the welfare officers had visited her home in Tuschen on Friday morning. She said they had questioned her about Natasha’s life and asked whether she used to beat her daughter.
