Pandit Tharun Balgobin was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with murdering Aangraj Kumar Indrapal, the man who was found dead at the pump station where he was working behind the Rose Hall Estate last Friday morning.
Balgobin, also known as ‘Arun’, 32, of Lot 918 New Area, East Canefield Settlement, East Canje, Berbice, appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court, where the charge was read to him.
The charge stated that between Thursday, August 4 and Friday, August 5, at the Rose Hall Estate, Balgobin murdered Indrapal.
Balgobin, who was represented by attorney Mursaline Bacchus, was not required to enter a plea. He will return to the Reliance Magistrate’s Court on September 7 for his next hearing.
Balgobin’s wife was present at court and cried until she blacked out.
Indrapal, also known as ‘Charles,’ 59, of Lot 940 New Area Canefield Settlement, East Canje, Berbice, a watchman and grill service man was stationed at the Number 3 Pump Station, located at the rear of the estate, with the accused, a pump operator, who had initially claimed that the deceased exited the pump station around 03:00 hrs to relieve himself outside.
Initially, it was suspected that the deceased had somehow fallen overboard and possibly drowned. However, a post mortem examination revealed that Indrapal died from manual strangulation, causing investigators to re-arrest Balgobin for further questioning. He allegedly confessed to killing the man.
Stabroek News was told that the accused claimed that the two were in the pump station “working together” when they had a misunderstanding and he allegedly strangled the man.
He claimed that he ordered the deceased to clean the grill but the deceased refused. According to a source, the accused told investigators that the deceased then allegedly used a rake to hit him after which he (Balgobin) allegedly choked him during a scuffle.
After he realised that Indrapal had gone unconscious he then allegedly tossed his body and the rake into the water near the pump station. Indrapal’s body was later found floating in the water.
