The discovery of two bodies in a home at Tain, Corentyne, Berbice, first suspected to be the result of a murder/suicide is now being treated as a double murder and a suspect is currently in custody.
Dead are Parbattie Vijrauren called ‘Nicki’ 37; of Lot 1 B Kilcoy, Corentyne and US-based Guyanese Ramdat Persaud called ‘Buddy,’ 56, of Lot 62 Tain Village, Corentyne. It is suspected that they were killed sometime between midnight on Tuesday and 3 am yesterday.
The suspect, who was the former lover of Vijrauren, was taken into custody during the course of yesterday, hours after the discovery of the two bodies in Persaud’s Tain home.
Police had said in a press release issued yesterday that they were working on a theory of murder/suicide, and awaiting the results of the post-mortem examination.
called ‘Nicki’
called ‘Buddy’
Later yesterday, a subsequent release revealed that post-mortem examinations done by Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Brijmohan found that both persons died from haemorrhage and shock due to incised wounds. A source told Stabroek News that Persaud had sustained an injury to his head while Vijrauren sustained a gaping wound to her neck.
Vijrauren was found lying on a bed with stab wounds, while Persaud was on the floor bracing the wall of the room. Vijrauren was clothed in her underwear, while Persaud was naked.
Stabroek News was told that an empty bottle was found near to the deceased persons in the room leading investigators to believe that the incident could have been a murder/suicide. However investigators later recovered a sharp object at the scene, suspected to be the murder weapon.
This newspaper learnt that the discovery was made shortly after 5 am by a relative who resides in the bottom flat of the home. Eddie Ramdanan, 68, told reporters, that he had gone to the back of the yard when he noticed that some of the grill bars had been removed and the window was open. He said he ventured upstairs and was about to knock on the door when he realised that it was already open. He said he pushed his head in and was greeted by a high odour of blood and saw the lifeless bodies of Persaud and his female visitor in the room surrounded by blood.
Shocked, Ramdanan alerted neighbours, who went over to the house and summoned police to the scene.
When Stabroek News arrived on the scene, investigators were conducting investigations whilst awaiting the arrival of undertakers. Under the window where the suspect possibly gained entry, there was a bucket and a plank that might have been used for elevation. A one-side slipper was also found outside of the fence.
Hundreds of residents gathered outside and once the bodies were removed and police exited the scene, onlookers poured into the home without permission, gaping at the bloody scene.
Relatives of both Persaud and Vijrauren explained to Stabroek News that they received the tragic news via phone calls. Relatives of Vijrauren said she had left home on Tuesday evening between 6.30 and 7 pm to visit Persaud.
According to reports, Vijrauren, a mother of two, had worked as a domestic worker with Persaud’s neighbour and became friends with him. Relatives said Vijrauren’s first union ended when her husband died in an accident several years ago. A few years later she shared a common-law union with the suspect, but ended it after things went sour. Her relatives said the man refused to accept that the relationship was over and subsequently made several threats to Vijrauren; she had indicated to him that she would make a report to the police.
Meanwhile, relatives of Persaud said he has been in the country for the past six months and was expected to return to the US on June 22. They explained that between December and January, the suspect had a confrontation with Persaud, during which Persaud sustained a fractured skull, which left him hospitalized for weeks and prevented him from travelling to the US. They said that the suspect had fled the area and police were unable to arrest him. However, he recently returned.
According to reports, the suspect has confessed to investigators that he watched the movements of Persaud and Vijrauren on Tuesday night and later climbed through the window, went upstairs and murdered them.
Vijrauren leaves to mourn her son and daughter along with her parents and siblings while Persaud is survived by his children one of whom was expected to be married in July, other relatives and friends.
Police investigations are continuing.
