The suspect in the murder of 77-year-old Danrasie ‘Carmen’ Ganesh is believed to be responsible for at least one previous attack on other residents of Montrose, who are now living in fear.
At about 1.30am on the morning of July 12th, over two weeks before the attack on Ganesh, First Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara resident Rajindra Persaud was awakened by his shaken daughter, ‘Marissa,’ who reported that she was held at knife point in her room and robbed by a man who was in the house.
She has since said she recognised the culprit as the same person in images of the suspect in Ganesh’s murder that were released by the police.
Persaud’s room is situated beside his daughter’s and he was completely unaware of what was transpiring during the robbery.
The father said the attacker used a knife from the family’s kitchen to carry out the attack.
The man managed to escape with a laptop, two cellphones and a small amount of cash.
The bandit entered the house through a washroom window by removing louvre panes.
Persaud could not say whether the intruder entered from the front or back of his yard. However, he pointed to an empty house next to his and which he said may have been serving as a safe haven for bandits.
Since the property was left abandoned, Persaud said he is being forced to trim the weeds in the yard as they could easily provide cover for prowlers.
Meanwhile, there was also a break-in attempt at another house just a lot away from Persaud’s two days before Ganesh was killed. However, the occupants are not sure about the identity of the intruder as he escaped before being spotted.
The occupants, who asked not to be named, said the intruder was prevented from carrying out his plan as one of the residents was awakened by sounds of louvre panes being removed from the lower flat of the house.
The man who was alerted by the noise had been sleeping in the room above the one where the intruder was trying to enter.
The occupant then decided to call a phone situated in the room below. The ringing of the phone caused the man to abort his mission as other members of the household were raised by the ringing phone.
After scrutinising the house, the occupants realised that the man only managed to remove a few louvre panes and did not get through the window.
The household has since grilled all the windows and is considering barring the verandah to prevent any other intrusion. “Is twenty-nine years we living here and nothing like this never happen before,” a woman said, while she added that the bandit was not interested in a bicycle and other minor valuables which were in in the yard at the time.
Persaud also cemented the window and blocked the entrance that was used by the intruder who entered his house.
Meanwhile, Ganesh’s relatives remain distraught and perplexed about her death and the inability of police to apprehend the suspect, who was captured by surveillance cameras.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said yesterday that police are still conducting investigations.
Ganesh’s daughter, Sandra, related yesterday that since the death of her mother she has been unable to return to her job as a domestic worker because she is too distressed to focus on her work.
Sandra believes that until the killer is brought to justice she might not be able to overcome the trauma.
She also recalled that her mother, before her death, had described a man looking like the suspect lurking in the area and making attempts to engage her in conversation.
She said that persons before the attack on the woman saw the man in the area, since her mother had related the incidents to relatives.
