The police in Berbice are still on the hunt for the unemployed man who allegedly murdered his teen wife at the Number Two Village, East Canje, Berbice on Saturday.
However, relatives of the deceased, Parbattie Lakhpal, 16, believes that the suspect, Ryan Singh, 25, formerly of Eccles, East Bank Demerara, may have fled to neighbouring Suriname, since he once worked as a “trader”, who brought “expensive alcohol from Suriname”. In yesterday’s news item Lakhpal’s age was given as 17. Her mother yesterday said she was 16.
The police, up to press time, told Stabroek News that investigators had no major leads but were still searching for the man.
Lakhpal also known as ‘Rosanna,’ was discovered with her throat slit in the living room of her apartment around 1 pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, according to Lakhpal’s mother, Indrawattie Narain, 42, she was not aware that Singh was abusive to her daughter. “If them fight in there most time me doesn’t hear and if one, one time me hear and ask she she does say no you na hear right…Me think because she get away with him, she does want cover down story and try with it on she own…She neva tell me or ask me to help, me wish she been tell me”, Narain lamented.
She said, that yesterday morning, one day after the murder, neighbours who came over to offer their sympathy told her that Singh would often beat Lakhpal.
She said, “The man over deh tell me how he does beat she nuff, he said how yesterday (Saturday) he hear she hollering and then she stop holler all of a sudden”.
The woman said that had neighbours informed her that Singh was abusive towards her daughter she could have intervened earlier.
However, neighbours were afraid of being called “nosy”, hence they did not tell her, she said.
The woman explained, that in August of last year her daughter, who at that time was in third form at the Berbice Educational Institute, eloped with Singh. “She get away with him and they go Eccles by his father house and live”. However, about three months after living in Eccles, Lakhpal returned to her mother’s house in Number Two Village, East Canje with Singh, where they have been residing since.
According to Narain, on Wednesday last week, she saw a mark on her daughter’s arm and after enquiring her daughter said “old higue suck her”.
Narain explained, that Singh reportedly entered the home through a window which was left open on Saturday. “She (Lakhpal) been gone go collect them children (that she was babysitting) and like he jump in from that side window that did lef open and hide in the house, she didn’t close the middle door here either so he had access from them apartment to the entire house”, she noted.
She said, when Lakhpal returned home with the two-year-old child she babysits, and the child’s ten-year-old sibling, she discovered Singh burning her (Lakhpal’s) clothes in the backyard. Narain assumed that it was then that the man chased the children out of the yard, while threatening to beat them also, and then launched an attack on Lakhpal.
Narain further stated that on Wednesday last the couple fought and Lakhpal “put (Singh) out of the house”. While, the mother said that she does not know what the fight was about, Stabroek News was told that Singh would become angry and violent whenever Lakhpal requested money from him to use in the house. Narain said, “He family them deh overseas and them does send money for him”.
The woman added that Singh never became angry or violent in her presence. “He is a quiet person, me neva see he get vex, I don’t know what could have motivate him to kill my daughter”, the grieving mother said as she broke into tears during an interview with this newspaper yesterday afternoon.
The woman described her daughter as a kind, caring, helpful person. “She love to help people, anything you ask she she does help out”.
