An autopsy performed on the remains believed to be those of fisherman Surujpaul Dindyal has revealed the cause of death to be multiple injuries, while DNA samples have been taken for testing to confirm the identity.
A relative of Dindyal told Stabroek News that while the autopsy was performed on Monday, the family now has to await the results of the DNA report before being given the remains for reburial. This, she said, is because they are only 75% confident that the body is indeed that of Dindyal.
Dindyal, called “Boy” or “Go Go man”, 43, a father of two of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara, died on December 9 last year after he was struck down along the public road at Buxton, East Coast Demerara. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital by the police, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The following day, his body was mistakenly buried along with four others that were unclaimed. Following inquiries by his family, a decision was taken to exhume all of the bodies so that Dindyal’s could be formally identified and handed over for a proper burial.
The exhumation was done on Friday at the Good Hope Cemetery. Once the DNA results confirm that the remains are indeed those of the fisherman, the driver who struck him will be rearrested and is likely to face additional charges. The driver was charged with driving under the influence.
The police, in a press release, had said that enquiries disclosed that motorcar PVV 4355 was travelling west along the southern side of the road. It was claimed that the driver observed two other cars, which were proceeding in the opposite direction, drive into his lane, which forced him to swerve. As a result, he collided with Dindyal, who was walking on the southern parapet.
The driver was subjected to a breathalyzer test which revealed that he was over the legal alcohol limit. The driver of PVV 4355 and another person, Emily Persaud, 17, of Annandale, also sustained injuries and were hospitalised following the incident.
Dindyal was unidentified at the time of the accident and his family thought that he was at sea.
Dindyal’s wife, Karan Bisal had previously told this newspaper that she last saw her husband alive on December 8 when he left home in search of a job. “He does go sea and come back. He lef’ home saying he going and see fuh wuk so after we see he ain’t come back we seh he mussy get a lil wuk and gone sea and he will come back in a couple days,” Bisal had said.
However, as the days went by and Dindyal did not return home, his family became worried and began to search for him.
On December 15, Bisal said, she went to the Vigilance Police Station to make a missing person’s report. One week later, after not hearing anything from the police, she decided to place a missing person’s advertisement on television.
It was after this that she received a call from a police officer, who invited her to visit the station where she was shown a photograph of the unidentified person on his cell phone. Bisal positively identified the individual as Dindyal due to a tattoo on his hand and the clothes he was wearing.
