Police yesterday detained two more persons as they continued to try to unravel the motive behind the gruesome shooting to death of two men and a teenage boy, whose bodies were discovered at Kokerite Savannah, Mibicuri Creek, on Friday.
Pawan Chandradeo, 37, his son Jaikarran Chandradeo, 15, and his brother-in-law Naresh Rooplall, 33, were found dead less than a day after they had left to go on a fishing trip in the Black Bush Polder, Corentyne community.
One person had been taken into custody on Friday and police confirmed that two others have been held for questioning.
Commander of ‘B’ Division Ian Amsterdam told Stabroek News that investigators have made some headway in the investigation. “One of the men in custody may have been with the victims at one stage, but then left,” he said.
Amsterdam confirmed that two of the three men in custody are the security guards, while the other is the employee of a rice farmer who was questioned and subsequently released.
Police sources told Stabroek News that investigators are currently pursuing two theories—that the trio might have been killed by a wanted man or that they may have run afoul of a farmer, who objected to their fishing in the ponds on the property.
In relation to the first theory, investigators are examining the possibility that they crossed paths with a fugitive that was hiding in the backdam and he may have killed them out of fear that they would alert the police to his presence.
As regards a possible confrontation with a landholder, the police held a farmer for questioning on Friday but released him.
The trio had been accompanied by Chandradeo’s younger son, Alvin, 11, who had been left with a security guard guarding a koker in the vicinity of where the trio were found, while they went ahead to fish. Investigators learnt yesterday that there were two men guarding the koker and they heard the gunshots on Thursday night around 10pm.
Investigators were told yesterday that when the gunshots rang out, the security guards told the boy that it was probably persons hunting in the backdam. According to a source, the guards also speculated that “Like them boys shoot them man.”
Alvin had told relatives that while he awaited the return of his relatives, he heard two gunshots, followed by another four gunshots a short while after. He later walked home.
Meanwhile, villagers yesterday continued to express shock at the deaths. They stated that they themselves in the past frequented the fishing ponds, which are located on land that has been leased to the rice farmer.
One resident, shaking his head in disbelief as he spoke with this newspaper, said they were never told that they could not fish in the area. He disclosed that the rice farmer would encourage them to go to his farm and fish. He said, “Me na think that man do this, he does come and tell we, when fish deh, let we must go in and fish,” he said.
Chandradeo, of 163 Mibicuri North, Black Bush Polder, was a rice farmer himself, while Rooplall, of Number 75 Village, Corentyne, was a security guard at the Skeldon Estate.
Chandradeo was a father of four, including the now deceased Jaikarran, while Rooplall was a father of one and his wife is currently five months pregnant.
Vice Chairman of Region Six Denis De Roop along with PPP/C Member of Parliament Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday visited Mibicuri area to express sympathy to the relatives of the victims.
