DNA testing has confirmed that the burnt remains which were found at Moleson Creek, Upper Corentyne almost two months ago are those of missing Canadian citizen, Nicholas Ramkissoon Jaipaul.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum yesterday told Stabroek News that the police recently uplifted the results which confirmed that the remains were those of Jaipaul.
The DNA testing was conducted by the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL).
Police discovered the burnt remains of 23-year-old Jaipaul on August 20th in some bushes along the main access road at Moleson Creek.
Jaipaul arrived in Guyana in January with his grandfather, Ramkissoon Jaipaul, 86. The duo were residing at the grandfather’s house in Number 69 Village, Corentyne, and were expected to leave the country in May but were forced to remain after flight restrictions were issued due to COVID-19.
Ramkissoon had said that he left Jaipaul awake and went to bed on Sunday, August, 16, around 7.30 pm.
However, the next morning he received a strange call asking if he was aware that his grandson was not in the house, which led him to file a police report.
He noted that he was never asked for any ransom but he had suspected that that was the reason behind the call. He recalled that he was never asked for any ransom but he had suspected that that was the reason behind the call.
One week later, three suspects: Charran Sewdhan also known as ‘Vickey’, 26; Aszim Shivgobin also known as ‘Blackie’, 23; and Moonasar Beharry, also known as ‘Brick head’, 56, of Lot 125 Section ‘A’, Number 70 Village, Corentyne were remanded to prison after they were charged with murdering Jaipaul.
Police had received a statement from Sewdhan alleging that he was hired to kidnap Jaipaul and kill him, then call his grandfather for a ransom of $50 million.
He also told investigators that he was ordered to also kill the grandfather when he showed up with the ransom and that he would be paid $500,000.
Furthermore, Sewdhan had alleged that the plan was hatched by another after Jaipaul’s grandfather had taken a group of farmers to court over unpaid rents for rice lands.
Stabroek News was previously told that Jaipaul’s grandfather once owned a rice mill which he sold many years ago and then started to rent his rice lands to farmers in the community.
However, after several of the rice farmers failed to pay their rents over a period of time, the man filed court action against them.
A senior police source had told this newspaper that Sewdhan befriended the deceased and on the night in question he messaged Jaipaul to meet him outside, hence there was no evidence of forced entry into the house.
According to the source, Sewdhan and Shivgobin, who he recruited as his accomplice, were waiting for Jaipaul in a car outside.
