The surveillance footage of the murder of city businessman Imtiaz Roopnarine is blurred and investigators are still hoping it can be enhanced to identify the shooter.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday said the lone suspect in the murder of Roopnarine, 38, of Alexander Village, had to be released after he was not picked out during an identification parade.
Persaud told Stabroek News that police have not found any “new leads,” while noting that investigators are still trying to enhance the images captured by the cameras that are set up in the compound of Cool Square Guesthouse, where the early morning fatal shooting occurred.
Persaud explained that the images captured are of a very bad quality. Investigators were hoping that once enhanced, the images would reveal the identity of the shooter. He noted that a man who was arrested last Monday was placed on an identification parade but was released since he was not identified.
The murder is widely viewed as a hit but the police are still uncertain as to the motive for the killing.
Based on the accounts given to this newspaper, Roopnaraine checked into the guesthouse around 4 am. When he emerged around 5.30 am, a gunman opened fire, causing him to run back into the guesthouse compound. There are reports that while Roopnarine was inside there were two men lurking outside.
Stabroek News had been told that the gunman jumped the fence and pursued the fleeing Roopnaraine, who was cornered at the back of the yard. The businessman did not get a chance to use his firearm, which was later recovered from the scene by police.
Persaud had told Stabroek News that police were looking at a number of circumstances, including Roopnarine’s deportation from the US for aggravated assault, to ascertain why he was targeted.
Police investigations are continuing.
