A Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) electrician died on Sunday night after a taxi driver attempted to dislodge him from the bonnet of his car by driving into a pile of sand, according to relatives but the police said the man was struck down as he walked along the Good Hope Railway Embankment road.
Dead is Jagdeo Thakurdeen, 35. In a statement, police said that at about 9.55 pm on Sunday, Thakurdeen was struck down by a car as he was walking along the Good Hope Railway Embank-ment. He was taken to the George-town Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. “The driver abandoned the motor vehicle and fled the scene. He has not yet been arrested,” the police said, adding that investigations are in progress.
Relatives, however, had a different story. His sister, Amrita, told Stabroek News that her brother had attempted to stop the car but the driver drove with him on its bonnet from La Bonne Intention (LBI) to Mon Repos before ending up on the railway embankment at Good Hope where her brother’s body was found.
The woman told Stabroek News that she learnt that her brother, his wife and some friends went in a car to the creek earlier in the day. She said they later discovered that one of the rearview mirrors was missing from the vehicle. A taxi driver, who is known to them, was identified as the suspect.
The woman said that when her brother and the others were heading home sometime before 10 pm, they saw the taxi driver and Thakurdeen exited the car and jumped on the man’s car bonnet in an attempt to stop him. She could not say whether the car had stopped or was still moving when her brother jumped on it but related that the taxi driver drove away with Thakurdeen on the bonnet.
Amrita said the man drove the car from LBI to Mon Repos with her brother hanging on. After seeing what had occurred, his reputed wife ran from LBI to the Beterverwagting Police Station for help, she added. Thakurdeen’s friends also drove behind the taxi and eventually pulled in front of the vehicle as it approached Mon Repos. However, the driver did not stop and reversed the car with Thakurdeen still holding on and the friends lost sight of the car.
Amrita said she learnt that the man eventually ended up on the railway embankment where he drove the vehicle into a sand pile. Thakurdeen was still holding on to the vehicle and as it toppled, he fell, she said. Persons at the scene related to her that her brother was alive for about 15 minutes and drew his last breath as they were about to make arrangements to take him to the hospital, Amrita recounted.
The woman said that she learnt of her brother’s demise when two of her cousins came to their home and told them Thakurdeen was involved in an accident and died. She said she did not believe them but her cousins took her to the scene where she saw her brother’s lifeless body. He appeared to have sustained internal injuries and was bleeding from his ears, mouth and nose, she said.
Earlier on Sunday, Thakurdeen had gone to their mother’s home in Mon Repos and asked her to cook pot roast chicken for him to take to the creek, Amrita recounted. She said that the woman did so, not knowing that it would be the last time she would see her son alive. Relatives were preparing to hold a wake last night while police continued investigations.
Thakurdeen leaves to mourn his wife, sister, parents and other relatives. A post-mortem examination is scheduled to be done on his remains on Wednesday.
