Neldon Neblett, who it is alleged stabbed to death his reputed wife, Anuradha Khatoon called ‘Mama’, last Saturday at their Best Village home, was arrested on Sunday, a police press release said.
Shashikala Lall of Best Village, WCD, the mother of Khatoon, told Stabroek News yesterday that her daughter had suffered five long years of abuse at the hands of her reputed husband. Lall related that her daughter would repeatedly put the suspect out of their family home because of his violent behaviour. Lall said that Neblett would consume his entire salary in alcohol or ‘smoke’ it out, then in his drunken stupor threaten Khatoon with knives and use offensive language towards her. Lall said that Neblett would then return the next day and plead with ‘Mama’ to take him back which she would.
Lall, who is now taking care of all three of Khatoon’s children, including one she bore for the suspect, further informed Stabroek News that her daughter had made two previous reports for physical abuse at the [police] station.
“She [Khatoon] made a report the first time at the station for abuse and [she] wasn’t informed of the court date, she missed the date, so the police loose her husband and he came back and begged her to take him back and she did. The second time, when he physically abused her, the police lock him up but eventually released him and he came back to her and begged her to take him back… again which she did”, the mother said.
Recounting the events before the incident, Lall said her daughter was at her residence, which is situated a few houses away. Lall and her daughter run a food business from Lall’s shop. At around 7 that night her daughter left and went home while Neblett, who had been consuming alcohol, visited Lall. Lall relayed that Neblett later went to his home, and sometime after, she received a call about the incident and rushed over to her daughter’s home.
According to a police press release, on Saturday at around 11:30 pm the well-known mother of three of Lot 1 Best Village was at home when her 30-year-old husband, who is a fisherman, returned home after a heavy drinking spree. The two became involved in a heated argument after Khatoon reportedly appealed to her husband to “ease up on the alcohol drinking”, the release said. It added that the dispute escalated, during which time the suspect armed himself with a knife and stabbed Khatoon once in the throat. She fell to the floor in the living room, and the suspect escaped.
Family members and the police responded and rushed Khatoon to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, it added. Police found a kitchen knife on the floor. Khatoon’s body was taken to Ezekiel Funeral Home to await a post-mortem examination.
