A taxi driver was yesterday charged with the murder of Bibi Nasmonisha Ramjit, the elderly woman who was found dead at her La Grange, West Bank Demerara home last month, while an arrest warrant was issued for the alleged mastermind behind the crime, who managed to escape from police after being handed over by Surinamese authorities on Wednesday.
Rishiram Singh, also known as ‘Shane,’ 34 of Lot 204 D’Anrade Street, Newtown, Kitty, appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in a Georgetown court, where the murder charge was read to him.
The body of Ramjit, who was also known as ‘Aunty Bibi,’ 85, of Lot 62 La Grange Old Road, was found bound and gagged in her home on October 25th and police subsequently determined that she was strangled.
Singh was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was remanded to prison until December 3rd, 2020, for a report and fixture.
The matter will be transferred to the Wales Magistrate’s Court for the conduct of a preliminary inquiry into the charge.
Police have so far also instituted a similar charge against a juvenile suspect, who was arrested during the initial stages of the probe.
Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force yesterday issued an arrest warrant for another suspect in the crime, Jankie Tapsie, 30, who escaped police custody minutes after being handed over by Surinamese law enforcement officers on Wednesday. Both Singh and Tapsie had been arrested in Paramaribo, Suriname and were handed over to police here on Wednesday afternoon via the backtrack route in Springlands.
However, Commander of Region Three Errol Watts had explained that the escape occurred at the Springlands Police Station, in Berbice, where Tapsie, who investigators believe masterminded the murder, requested to use the washroom. With no female rank at the station, a male rank accompanied her and waited outside. However, while he was waiting, the woman made good her escape.
According to a wanted bulletin issued for Tapsie yesterday, she is wanted for questioning in relation to a murder and escape from lawful custody.
Police, who said the woman’s last known addresses are Devisieweg #7 District Commewijne, Suriname and Mon Repos, on the East Coast of Demerara, asked that anyone with information on her whereabouts contact the police on telephone numbers 229-2289, 220-2222, 227-1149, 911 or the nearest police station.
