A Mon Repos taxi driver ended his life yesterday by allegedly ingesting a poisonous substance, which he also forced his estranged wife and their three-year-old daughter to consume.
While Balkaran Persaud, 57, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was rushed after he was discovered at his home, his common-law wife Kavita Persaud, 35, and their daughter, have both been hospitalised. Both the mother and child are said to be in stable condition.
A relative said the couple had been separated for the last five months and it is suspected that they had a confrontation yesterday that preceded the poisoning.
Lilawati Ramlakhan, a sister-in-law of Balkaran from his first marriage, was informed of his death around 10 am.
The woman said that at the time of the suspected confrontation, only Balkaran, his wife and the daughter were at the Lot 59 Martyr’s Ville, Mon Repos, East Coast Deme-rara home. Balkaran’s two other daughters were with Ramlakhan.
The woman explained that neighbours informed her that they heard Kavita screaming and that led them to the house.
She said when the neighbours arrived, they found Kavita in the yard, while Balkaran was lying in the house and the child was lying on a bed.
The neighbours found the bottle containing the poisonous substance in the house.
The police were summoned and Ramlakhan said neighbours rushed the family to the hospital, where Balkaran was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to her, Kavita would visit the house daily and prepare her daughter for school. She lived a short distance away after she separated from Balkaran.
The woman stated that it is unclear what transpired yesterday morning since only the three were at home. She stated that from the disruption in the house, they suspect the couple had a fight as torn pieces of clothing belong to Balkaran were found in the bedroom.
She pointed out that, the couple in the past would be engaged in domestic quarrels and on several occasions Balkaran complained about Kavita. “He would always say she is not cooking or cleaning up the house or she would not treat him good. It is always something,” she stated.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the poisonings.
If you or someone you know are having thoughts of committing suicide, you can seek help from the Inter-Agency Suicide Prevention Helpline through the following means:
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