A porter was fatally stabbed by his drinking partner during an argument at Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo on Sunday night.
Nair Khan, called ‘Tarzan,’ 29, of Bud Street, Line Top, Vergenoegen, was discovered lying in a pool of blood around 6 am yesterday with a gaping wound to his left hand.
His body was found about 110 yards away from the suspect’s Burn Street, Vergenoegen home, where the stabbing occurred.
The suspect, who has been identified as Owin Accra, fled the scene and is yet to be apprehended.
The stabbing occurred around 10 pm.
The police, in a press release, said that their investigation has so far determined that Khan and the suspect were drinking at the latter’s house when an argument erupted.
The police said the argument stemmed from the accusation that Khan was having a relationship with the suspect’s wife.
“The argument reportedly escalated and the suspect allegedly stabbed the porter who fled the scene, leaving a trail of blood,” the police added.
When Stabroek News visited yesterday, the entrance to the house where the stabbing occurred was cordoned off.
Accra, this newspaper was told, shared the house with his wife and his mother-in-law who were both present when the stabbing occurred.
Investigators have obtained a statement from the wife, while the mother-in-law was being questioned at a police station up to yesterday afternoon.
Residents of the area were tightlipped about the stabbing.
A neighbour said she only learnt of what had occurred when she heard her husband chasing the suspect out of their yard early yesterday morning. “He [Accra] was behaving bad and I just hear my husband chasing he and when I ask then my husband tell me he juk up somebody,” the woman said.
Fatal intervention
Meanwhile, at the home of Shmie Razack, the dead man’s aunt, relatives gathered and expressed their shock over his death.
Razack, who operates a poultry business, said Khan grew up with her and would assist with the business.
She recalled that Accra’s mother-in-law called for her yesterday morning and informed her that Accra had stabbed Khan, who was dead. “Suh meh seh how yuh know that? And she seh he lay down on the road now, leh me must go now,” she added.
Razack said she then went and found her nephew lying face down on the road.
The grieving woman said based on what the mother-in-law related to her, Khan and Accra were drinking together at a shop in the area and later continued at Accra’s home. “They go there and they end up continue the drinking and the rum finish and the boy (Accra) wanted more but he didn’t had money,” she related.
She was told that Accra then started to fight with his wife and mother-in-law, who he was trying to get to purchase more alcohol for him. Khan reportedly intervened and tried to calm him down. “Suh me nephew tell he, ‘Man don’t beat yuh wife if she ain’t got.’ And he pick up a hammer to lash me nephew and but he barred the lash and tek away the hammer and throw it away and went and sit down on the chair,” Razack added.
She was told that Accra then went to the kitchen and armed himself with a knife, which he used to stab Khan. “Me nephew did sitting down on the chair in the house and he stab he and seh, ‘Oh, you want meh wife, nah? Yuh picking up fuh she?’” she further said.
The women tried to save Khan but were too were fearful for their lives to do anything, Razack was told.
Bled to death
The family believes that Khan’s life could have been saved if an alarm was raised and he was taken to the hospital after the stabbing. “Me aint know how he reach on the street there but people seh they overheard two to three body voice and when they look out, everybody gone and meh nephew left lay down their whole night till 4 o’ clock this morning,” Razack related.
Relatives said based on what they were told, Accra’s family was fearful of raising an alarm or involving the police due to the seriousness of the attack.
As a result, they believe Khan was left in the house, bleeding, for some time before he managed to venture out. “These people know he [Khan] woulda dead, suh them lef he right deh and like he get up and try to come home and he fall down, bleed to death and lef right deh,” a relative noted.
“Them think they will twist the story how them want and he will get away and get off with this but it wouldn’t happen suh,” another relative stated, while noting that Khan was a very easy going person who did not deserve such a death.
Razack said Khan would usually clean up her place every afternoon. “Normally when they done wuk, he does wash up the place and so and I keep on troubling he because he tell me he like some girl and he will get marry, so, me keep on laughing he, saying somebody can’t go see they girlfriend this afternoon,” she related.
She added that she never knew Khan would visit Accra’s house until yesterday. “I never know. Is this morning the lady [the mother-in-law] seh he does normally drop off there, gaff and talk and them does drink and so together,” she said.
