The family of 17-year-old Devkumarie Ramadhar was plunged into a state of shock yesterday after the discovery of her partly nude, decomposing body, which washed ashore at Ruimzigt, West Coast Demerara.
Ramadhar, who lived at 59 Bella Dam, West Bank Demerara, went missing since last Saturday and relatives had lodged a missing person’s report at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.
Stabroek News was told that two men had been held by police in connection with the girl’s disappearance. She was said to be involved in relationships with both men.
This newspaper was also informed that the teen had attempted suicide in the past over relationship issues. She also confided in others that she was having problems at home with her parents, who did not trust her.
After the body washed ashore, the unpleasant odour attracted curious passerby, who found the body, which was clad only in a top.
Her grandfather, who lives at La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara, rushed to the scene and he identified the girl by the mauve top she was wearing the last time she was seen alive. The jeans she was also wearing were missing along with the hand bag she was carrying at the time, the girl’s mother, Jagranie Omadat said.
Omadat also related that she later went to the morgue, where she confirmed that the body was that of her daughter. However, she could not say whether there were marks of violence due to the advanced state of decomposition and the fact that she did not have the courage to take a thorough look at the body.
The girl’s eyes were missing and her skin was already deteriorated, the mother said as she broke down into tears.
Omadat further revealed that she learnt that her daughter had an issue with her boss and a male co-worker at Parsram’s Discount Store in Georgetown. However, she explained that on the day her daughter went missing, the girl had requested that they meet in Georgetown. She wanted her mother to collect a bag. She did so and it was about an hour after she returned home that she received a phone call during which she learned that Ramadhar was involved in a problem at the work place and she had left.
The distraught woman then contacted her daughter, who told her not to do anything about the issue or report the matter to the police since she was at Diamond, East Bank Demerara, in the company of her boyfriend, identified as Richard, who was taking her to get a job at DDL.
Stabroek News was told there is a video recording in the possession of Chung’s relatives which captured Ramadhar being beaten in the store by her co-worker on the day she went missing.
The two men arrested are Richard Chung, 34, of Diamond, East Bank Demerara, and another identified only as Raj, of West Bank Demerara, who was her co-worker.
However, sources close to Chung, who was said to be a frequent customer at the store where the girl worked, told Stabroek News that the police stormed his home on Thursday evening and arrested him without asking any questions or giving the reasons for the arrest. The sources indicated that Chung’s wife and his family have since been very distressed about the situation, since they say police are refusing to inform them about what is going on.
Chung’s relatives were said to be surprised at his arrest since they never expected him to be involved in any wrongdoing.