Two persons have been arrested in connection with the death of Navindradat Bhawan, the Corentyne youth whose body was discovered at the Middle Walk Dam, located in Number 70 Village, Corentyne, where he was reportedly beaten on Thursday.
Bhawan, also known as ‘Altaf’ and ‘Mice,’ 21, of Lot 54 Section ‘A’ Number 70 Village, Corentyne, was discovered sometime around 3 pm on Thursday lying face down. He was foaming at the mouth and also had an unknown injury at one side of his forehead.
However, the cause of his death remains unknown since, according to a police source, a post-mortem examination that was done yesterday was inconclusive. As of yesterday midday, the man’s family was unaware of the post-mortem result since a relative was prevented from witnessing the examination. This made family suspicious and led to it calling on police to conduct a proper investigation.
On Thursday evening, hours after Bhawan was pronounced dead on arrival at the Skeldon Public Hospital, police arrested two men in Fyrish Village, Corentyne. Residents claim the men assaulted the youth a short while before his death.
Stabroek News was told that one of the men is from Fyrish Village, while the other is from Number 71 Village, Corentyne.
The residents claimed that earlier in the day $5,000 was given to him by a man known to him to purchase a bottle of rum and marijuana. However, he reportedly spent the money on himself. It has been surmised that this is what led to the attack on Bhawan.
According to one resident, Bhawan was present at a shop located through the street where his body was found. The resident noted that sometime around 1 pm, he left the shop and headed to the public road.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said that while Bhawan was standing on the road, a car stopped in front of him and two men suddenly exited. The woman further claimed that one of the men assaulted Bhawan, after which both reentered the car, which sped off.
It is suspected, that the men fled to Fyrish Village, where they were subsequently arrested.
Shortly after, Bhawan was spotted lying on the road shoulders by other residents.
His uncle, Mohamed Safraz Noordean, who was immediately notified, rushed him to the Skeldon Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Noordean explained yesterday that when he picked his nephew up he was still breathing. “Me say, ‘Altaf! Altaf!’ And he na answer me. He been a froth from he mouth and a blow hard, hard,” the man recounted.
Noordean stated that he noticed an injury at the side of his nephew’s forehead.
He further said that he last saw his nephew a short while before his body was discovered. “He ask me for $200 and then gone,” he noted. “Me ask am if he take them boy money and he say, ‘No mamoo, me na take them money’ and then he go by my sister and me sister give me $100 and he gone deh. That was it,” he added.
‘Death threat’
The uncle is calling on the police to conduct a proper investigation as he is seeking justice for his nephew, who was previously threatened by one of the men now in custody.
Noordean explained that on Thursday, one of the suspects, identified as ‘Two Feet,’ came to his residence twice and demanded to meet with Bhawan. “He ask where Altaf deh and me tell he Altaf na come home yet and he say he send Altaf to buy one bottle rum with $5,000 and Altaf is to take he money and he na know weh Altaf gone with he money,” he said.
The uncle stated that the suspect then demanded that he return the $5,000 to him for his nephew. “Me tell he me got to reach Altaf before me do that,” Noordean said.
“He [the suspect] deh and he start fight up and before he gone he say one word and me na go forget this word, he say if abie na reach am first, if he reach am before abie, he go kill am and da wah he do.”
The emotional uncle then noted that less than 15 minutes later he was informed that his nephew was lying on the road.
Additionally, the man expressed his frustration at investigating ranks, whom he said did not allow him to witness his nephew’s post-mortem examination yesterday.
According to Noordean, he was present yesterday morning at the Skeldon Public Hospital, where a police officer present asked him to leave the room while the post-mortem examination was being carried out. “The doctor was there and when me go in them put me out the place. Me still stand up and then the doctor put me out. Me na know how them can do that,” he explained.
He further questioned why he was not allowed to witness the examination before suggesting that anything could have happened in his absence. “Anything can happen. Money a pay throughout this world and money a rule this world and people family have money to pay and get them out,” he lamented.
