Tragedy marred the first village day at Baracara, Canje River when a 29-year-old cane harvester was early yesterday morning shot in the head during a row over a woman who was also injured in the incident.
Dead is Dhanraj Basdeo called `Wabble’ of Canefield Settlement, Canje, Berbice. The shooter and his brother who had repeatedly struck the woman to the head with a torchlight are on the run.
Basdeo’s grief-stricken father Narendranauth Basdeo told Stabroek News that his son left home around 10 pm on Saturday but called about an hour later asking that it be relayed to his mother that he would not be home for the next two days.
The elder Basdeo said that yesterday the police went to his home enquiring if `Wabble’ lived there. He said he informed the ranks that his son left to go out on Saturday and that he did not know where he was. He said he also informed the police that his son had said he would not be home for the next two days. “The guy turn and ask meh if ah sure…”, he said, adding that one ranks spoke of him having to go to the police station while another mentioned that he had to get his son’s identification card.
Basdeo told this newspaper that when the ID card was mentioned he suspected that something had happened.
He said that later when he visited the hospital “they ask meh if meh strang.” According to Basdeo he was told that his son was caught with “some lil gal and somebody shoot he.” When he later viewed his son’s remains he saw marks of violence on the body and what appeared to be a fresh gunshot wound to the forehead.
He said that he is still awaiting information from the police on what exactly transpired. The man while stating that he wants justice said he wants to know the circumstances of his son’s death.
Asked how his son ended up in Baracara, the man said that this was his third visit to the community. He couldn’t say if he had friends there.
The elder Basdeo said that the persons who brought his son’s body out of Baracara told him that all they heard was a gunshot and on investigation they found his son in a boat with two friends.
Basdeo said that one of them was later held by police and released.
Stabroek News has since been told that both men were questioned by investigators before being released.
He insisted that his son was not the type of person to interfere with anyone. He said, “He like drink, he like sport but he don’t interfere with nobody.”
Meanwhile, reports from residents indicated that the shooter had taken a woman from Port Kaituma to live with him until recently when he reportedly chased her away. However, she had returned and they had patched things up. On Sunday night, there was a function following a day of sports in the community and the young woman was later seen sitting in a paddle boat talking to ‘Wabble’ whom she knew. This was around 12:30 am.
This newspaper was told that she was seen by the brother of her partner who in turn alerted his sibling and they both rushed to the boat where the brother confronted the girl before lashing her in the head with a torchlight, bursting it in the process.
A 9 mm pistol was then passed to the woman’s partner by his brother, who pointed the weapon at ‘Wabble’s’ forehead and pulled the trigger, Stabroek News was told. The man died instantly.
Friends of Dhanraj Basdeo rushed him out to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but according to reports they did not alert the police to the incident.
This newspaper was told that it was only when Prime Minister Sam Hinds arrived in a police boat for the Village Day celebration later in the day that the law men were alerted about the murder.
The young woman is said to be a patient of the Baracara Health Centre while her paramour is on the run. She is said to have received several stitches to her head.
Reports have indicated that the young man and his brothers are known as “bad men” in the area and they would boast from time to time that they would shoot and beat people who anger them.
“The girl was just sitting there talking, she was not doing anything but he just ignorant and shoot and kill the boy just like that,” a source told this newspaper.
Baracara is a lively area in the Canje River and its residents are known for celebrating in fine style. They had planned a weekend long programme which started with a church convention by the Seventh Day Adventist Church followed by a day of sports on Sunday, while yesterday was the first ever Village Day, which saw the attendance of PM Hinds and other dignitaries.
Meanwhile police are still looking for the father and son who reportedly stabbed and killed Rajeshwar Ramdhani just after he left a wedding house at Miss Phoebe, Corentyne, Berbice sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Ramdhani, a resident of Tain Settlement, had earlier had an argument with one of his attackers.
