A Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara resident died on Wednesday at a city hospital, hours after he was reportedly beaten by a group of men near the Stabroek Market.
Dead is Jairam Persaud, 42, also known as ‘Ramesh’ and ‘Truck,’ a resident of Lot 25 Soesdyke, Canal Number One.
Relatives said they last saw Persaud alive around 8 am on Tuesday, when he left home with a group of men, including a relative, to assist with some work in Station Street, Kitty. They said Persaud wandered off after being paid $1,000.
When he failed to return home on Tuesday evening, his relatives became worried and started to search for him. However, they came up empty handed until the following morning, when they journeyed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), after receiving information that Persaud was involved in an accident and taken there. He succumbed to his injures around 10 am on Wednesday.
Hours before he was found, a missing person’s report was made at the La Grange Police Station.
Prior to his death, Persaud reportedly provided doctors with his personal information. He also told them that he was beaten by a group of men near the Stabroek Market, and had walked to the hospital by himself.
Several efforts made by this newspaper to contact Divisional Commander Marlon Chapman yesterday proved futile, however, a police source told Sunday Stabroek that a report was made and police are investigating.
Dayane Singh, the dead man’s niece, yesterday explained that it was the relative who was part of the work crew who told the family that Persaud wandered off from the Kitty location and could not be found.
She said around 4 pm on Wednesday, relatives went to the GPH, where they learnt that Persaud had died.
Persaud’s father was subsequently able to confirm that his son arrived there around 8 pm and succumbed the following morning. However, he was told that the body was already taken to the mortuary and he was asked to return on Thursday to identify the remains.
Upon returning, the man positively identified the remains of his son, after which a doctor read out a complaint Persaud reportedly gave before his death, including that he walked to the Stabroek Market, where six men beat him. It is claimed that he then walked from the market to the hospital, where he collapsed and was taken in for treatment.
Singh said her uncle was a very helpful person. She explained that while he did not have a fixed job, he would often times assist persons in the community when necessary.
His family is calling for justice. They said they are hoping that the perpetrators will be caught and the necessary actions will be taken.
An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted on Persaud’s remains in the new week.
