A Bara Cara pump attendant was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with the murder of Dhanraj Basdeo in 2014.
Twenty-nine-year-old Basdeo of Canefield, East Canje Berbice was shot in his forehead during the first village day at Bara Cara, Canje River some nine years ago.
Philip Amsterdam, 40, a pump attendant of Bara Cara, Upper Berbice River yesterday appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Peter Hugh where the charge was read to him.
An unrepresented Amsterdam was not required to plead to the charge and was remanded to prison.
He will return to court on August 16 for report.
Basdeo called `Wabble’ of Canefield Settlement, East Canje Berbice was shot after he was seen in conversation with a woman connected to the accused, who was reportedly also injured in the incident
The alleged shooter and his brother who had repeatedly struck the woman to the head with a torchlight had been on the run since the incident. However, Amsterdam was recently arrested which led to the charge being filed.
In 2014, Basdeo’s grief-stricken father Narendranauth Basdeo had told Stabroek News that his son left home around 10 pm on Saturday, October 4, 2014, but called about an hour later asking that it be relayed to his mother that he would not be home for the next two days.
The man stated that two days later (Monday) he was contacted by the police who went to his home enquiring if `Wabble’ lived there. He said he informed the ranks that his son left to go out on Saturday and that he did not know where he was.
He said he also informed the police that his son had said he would not be home for the next two days. “The guy turn and ask meh if ah sure…”, he said, adding that one rank spoke of him having to go to the police station while another mentioned that he had to get his son’s identification card.
Basdeo had told this newspaper that when the ID card was mentioned he suspected that something had happened.
He said that later when he visited the hospital “they ask meh if meh strang.”
According to Basdeo, he was told that his son was caught with “some lil gal and somebody shoot he.” When he later viewed his son’s remains he saw marks of violence on the body and what appeared to be a fresh gunshot wound on the forehead.
Meanwhile, reports from residents had indicated that the shooter had taken a woman from Port Kaituma to live with him however he had reportedly chased her away. Eventually, she returned and they had patched things up.
On the night in question, there was a function following a day of sports in the community, and the young woman was later seen sitting in a paddle boat talking to Basdeo whom she knew.
This newspaper was told that she was seen by the brother of her partner who in turn alerted his sibling and they both rushed to the boat where the brother confronted the girl before lashing her in the head with a torchlight, bursting it in the process.
A 9 mm pistol was then allegedly passed to the woman’s partner by his brother, who pointed the weapon at Basdeo’s forehead and pulled the trigger. Stabroek News was told that Basdeo died instantly.
Friends of Basdeo rushed him out to the New Amsterdam Hospital, but according to reports they did not alert the police to the incident.
Further, reports had also indicated that the young man and his brothers were known as “bad men” in the area and they would boast from time to time that they would shoot and beat people who anger them.
“The girl was just sitting there talking, she was not doing anything but he just ignorant and shoot and kill the boy just like that,” a source had told this newspaper.
