More than eight years after Ruby businessman Habiboodean from injuries he sustained when he was severely beaten at his home and two persons including his daughter were charged with the crime and subsequently freed, another individual yesterday confessed to the police that he was the hit-man.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Stabroek News that Linden Lewis called “Bullet”, 28, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) was one of the five persons who were arrested for questioning in relation to the murder of Good Hope rice farmers, Mohamed and Jamilla Munir.
Blanhum said four persons, who denied the allegation, were released when the 72 hours detention period expired. But Lewis remained in custody and was grilled by investigators in relation to the murder of Habiboodean.
The 76-year-old man of Lot 111 Ruby, EBE died at the Woodlands Hospital on February 15, 2008, one day after he was badly beaten at his home.
A relative had told this newspaper at the time that nothing was taken from the home and neither was it ransacked and the incident occurred reportedly because of a family feud.
Habiboodean’s daughter, Bibi Nazeela Habiboodean, 42, and Terry Lewton, 38, of Vergenoegen, EBE had been charged with the murder.
It had been alleged that Lewton murdered Habiboodean while Bibi Nazeela counselled, procured and commanded him to commit the said offence. Less than a year later, they were freed after t Magistrate Fazil Azeez sitting at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court had ruled that a prima facie case had not been made out against them. The duo had been remanded to prison while the Preliminary Inquiry was conducted.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that Lewis provided investigators with a statement during which he explained that Bibi Nazeela Habiboodean had promised him $6 million, a house, land and a car if he killed her father.
The suspect reportedly said that on the day of the incident, he was given access to the businessman’s house by his daughter. He told police that as he entered the house, Habiboodean, who was sitting on a chair, asked him what he was doing there and he responded, “I come to kill you.”
The suspect reportedly then took a piece of wood and dealt Habiboodean blows to the head until he fell motionless; he then disposed of the wood in the backyard.
He also reportedly said that the daughter told him she had older sisters, who had already been given certain assets by their father and she was impatient to receive her share.
The suspect also indicated to investigators that after the act was committed he was given $5,000 and was ordered by to go to the interior and he would receive the rest when he returned, as the police had already arrested three persons.
He said he went to Puruni Backdam and returned two years later, at which point he was told that the rest of the cash promised to him was used to money to pay a lawyer and to spend at the “tuck shop”. He said he never asked again.
