A 57-year-old Foulis, East Coast Demerara (ECD) housewife was murdered in the wee hours of yesterday after police say her husband made good on threats he had made to her life.
Family members say her screams were the last thing they heard from Savitrie Raj, of Lot 563 Foulis, ECD, who was a mother of three.
Her husband, Vijaimal Raj, called ‘Zaro,’ 56, identified by the Guyana Police Force as the suspect in the crime, was said to be in hiding up to press time after fleeing their home.
According to Guyana Police Force statement, the murder took place at the couple’s Lot 563 Fifteenth Street, Foulis home at 01:00 hrs.
The statement said that the son of Savitrie and Vijaimal told officers that at the time of the fatal altercation he was in the lower flat of the house. He said he heard his mother scream and as a result he ran to the upper flat. He eventually got into the bedroom and found his mother lying bloodied on a bed, while his father was jumping out of a window.
An emergency medical technician later pronounced Savitrie dead at the scene. Police said there were wounds to her neck and face.
Her body was escorted to the Jerrick’s Funeral Home, where it currently awaits a post-mortem examination.
Police also reported the son as saying that his father constantly abused his mother verbally and had also threatened to kill both her and himself.
The son-in-law of the deceased, Nick, who resides at a house aback the said address, yesterday told Stabroek News that his wife and brother-in-law heard Savitrie scream “god” three times. As a result of her screams, they rushed upstairs to inquire but the bedroom door was locked.
They then found another way into the room and found the woman lying on a bed while her husband was rushing to escape through the window.
“Them go fuh kick down the door. The door nah kick. Them go ’round from the back and bruk the back and jump in, open up… the man then bruk the other side and he jump,” said Nick.
According to him, the couple had been experiencing difficulties for the past month and it had led to court proceedings.
The man stated that his mother-in-law had just wanted to mend things between her and her husband, who did not want to go to court. “The man always talking that he nah want go court after he never go in a police matter and all the time he does talk that he go murder murder murder and dah was it,” said the son-in-law.
Nick added that it was not the first time that Vijaimal assaulted the woman and noted that she made reports to the police but they led nowhere.
One of the now dead woman’s sisters said that as a result of the non action by the police, Savitrie took it upon herself to visit the welfare department and as a result the court proceedings were initiated.
The couple was supposed to make their first court appearance a few weeks back but Vijaimal never showed up and as a result a summons was issued for him. They were expected to make a court appearance today.
Family members told this newspaper that the couple were together for 32 years and one of Savitrie’s sisters described the two as a quiet and loving couple.
The police yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for the husband.
Anyone who has seen or has information about the whereabouts of Vijaimal Raj is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 229-2700, 229-2219, 229-2557, 226-6978, 225-8196, 911 or at the nearest police station.
