A Crabwood Creek farmer was yesterday found dead on his farm with his nearby camp burnt to the ground.
The body of Phagoo Maniram, 56, called ‘Radesh,’ of Lot 36 Grant 1806, Crabwood Creek, did not have any marks of violence.
The man was last seen alive on Tuesday morning before he left for the farm, which is located some eight miles away from Crabwood Creek at the Crabwood Creek backlands.
Stabroek News was told that a fellow farmer, who passed by Maniram’s farm yesterday morning, discovered the razed camp and alerted the brothers of the deceased.
One of them, Premnauth Maniram, said he notified the police and six lawmen later accompanied him and other relatives to the scene.
When they arrived, he recalled, they saw that the camp was burnt down and upon searching they found his brother some 45 feet away. His body did not bear any marks of violence and as a result it was unclear of how he died.
A police source said yesterday that they are still investigating and they were unaware as yet of the cause of death. The source said they would have to wait on the autopsy, which is expected to be done today. The source also said that the cause of the fire may have been a lantern blown down by high winds or a lit cigarette.
According to Maniram, it did not look like a murder; it looked like a natural death.
Additionally, he noted that when his brother last spoke to his wife, Kalawattie Maniram 52, on Tuesday night, the wife gathered that he was drunk. He added that his brother, who drank and smoked, would normally operate the cash crop farm by himself and would spend days at the farm looking after his crops. He would only come out of the camp to sell his produce and then he returned to the farm.
Another brother, Rakesh Maniram a popular Crabwood Creek businessman, said his brother has been a farmer all his life. He described him as a very easy-going person who would not interfere with anyone.
The dead man is survived by his wife and four daughters, Reshma, Vishalie, Sonia and Chandine.
