An East Canje cattle farmer was found dead with four gunshot wounds yesterday at a dam in Gangaram Settlement and his family suspects that his death is linked to a recent spat over land.
The deceased has been identified as Ramnarine Itwaru, known as ‘Bill,’ 38, of Lot 84 Gangaram Settlement, East Canje, Berbice.
Itwaru’s body was found by a fisherman yesterday afternoon at a GuySuCo dam, known as ‘Ring Road,’ in the village.
According to the fisherman, he saw the body in a pool of blood. He said he then alerted residents and relatives of the deceased, who phoned the police. He noted that Itwaru’s motorcycle was parked on the dam next to the body.
Residents told Stabroek News that the man was last seen around 1pm yesterday in the village as he left to go cut grass for his cattle at Ring Road, which he would normally do. However, one resident disclosed that gunshots were heard in the afternoon sometime between 2 and 3pm.
According to Itwaru’s sister-in-law, Sharada Hemraj, they were informed that he had an accident and was lying on the road. “I send me father up to see him, then we get the message that somebody shoot him,” she said.
She explained that someone recently stole five of Itwaru’s cows and she speculated that his death might be connected. She also stated that Itwaru recently invested some $1.2M in his father-in-law’s land at the backdam, where he has his cattle. “That is me father private land, somebody go and steal his cow and he put it up through the internet, so I don’t know if anybody had spite on him,” she added. “Then when he spend the money to dig trench on the land, he stop people [from going] on the land,” she further said.
“I think this might be connected to his death, because he minding thing there and he stop people from getting into there,” the woman reasoned.
Itwaru’s wife, Rosy Hemraj, after viewing his body and returning home, was heard screaming, “Ow! Them kill you because of a piece a land!” She also screamed for justice. The grieving woman, in shock passed out multiple times as relatives and neighbours consoled her.
Itwaru’s father-in-law, Parbulall Hemraj, 63, said his son-in-law “don’t smoke or drink. You see that hammock in there? After he done he work, he gon’ come home and shake, nothing more.”
The man was puzzled as to the reason why someone would want to kill his son-in-law. “Is a good boy that we never get problem with he,” he added.
Itwaru is survived by his wife and a 10-year-old son.
Gangaram residents were shaken up by the murder since the village is close-knit and Itwaru was regarded as an upstanding person.
