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Black
flags of mourning for slain couple
Hundreds
turned out for the funerals of Ramdeo Persaud, 43, known as David and
`Sweetie Man' and his reputed wife, Mahadai Magoo, 34, also called Sita
Persaud. They
were shot dead, execution-style, when six bandits stormed their home at
57, Peter Street, Annandale North, just over an hour after sundown
Saturday. Magoo
was cremated at the Good Hope cremation site, where hundreds turned up to
pay their respects or get a last glimpse of her lifeless body. Vehicles
lined the way to the cremation site and on the public road, but Police
were out in numbers to ensure order and a free flow of traffic. There
was a huge crowd around the cremation site where Magoo's body lay and many
people angrily went away without getting to view her body One
relative pacified some by displaying a laminated copy of a photo of the
slain woman. Persaud's
eldest son, Rakesh, with head shaved according to Hindu rites, shared in
performing the last rites for Magoo. In
Annandale, black flags of mourning lined the roadway and were more
numerous in several streets leading to the house where the killing took
place. As
Magoo's funeral pyre was lit, scores started streaming to Annandale for a
final view of `Sweetie Man', whose funeral was scheduled three hours after
his wife's. By
13:30 hrs, several persons started lining Peter Street as an orderly
viewing of Persaud's body took place at his home. Left
to mourn are Persaud's three children, 16-year-old Rakesh, 13-year-old
Deoram and 11-year-old Devika, who had become very much attached to their
step-mother. Magoo
was in a common-law relationship with Persaud for the last four years. Minister
of Local Government, Mr. Harripersaud Nokta attended the funerals. Prime
Minister Sam Hinds, as well as Nokta, visited the relatives earlier this
week. The
Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce and the Justices of the Peace
Association yesterday joined the list of those condemning the Annandale
murders. The
Chamber of Commerce expressed "disgust and disappointment at the
present state of criminal activities, including the loss of innocent lives
and property, especially those of business persons." "We
are calling on the Government to introduce conscription (compulsory
enrollment in the armed forces) as one of the ways to correct the
situation...And to do everything possible to re-initiate the (political)
dialogue", the chamber said in a statement. The
Justices of the Peace Association said in a statement that it
"condemns most vehemently the brutal slaying" of the Annandale
couple. The
association said it "recognises that the gruesome murder of David and
his wife (Sita) was more than just banditry. When one looks at the whole
scenario one is certainly convinced that the killing...was probably part
of a hate campaign designed to terrorise peaceful, law abiding and
productive Guyanese". "The...association
call(s) on all concern(ed) Guyanese, organisations and associations to
condemn this barbaric act and demand that the security forces move swiftly
and precisely to apprehend the killers so that such further acts of
barbarism may be prevented", the statement said. The
People's Progressive Party (PPP) in a statement Sunday said it was deeply
saddened by the "robbing and murdering" of the businessman and
his wife who have become "the latest victims of organised banditry
and murder". "That
the bandits came on foot and left on foot, with much ease, in the
direction of the neighbouring village of Buxton/Friendship, reveals the
boldness with which these acts are now being perpetrated," the party
said. It
said, too, that the targets, frequency and organised nature with which
these acts of robberies and murders have been committed over the past six
weeks, seem to suggest that robbery is not the only motive. It
said it recognises the tremendous efforts of the law enforcement agencies
to fight crime and respond to acts of domestic terrorism. However, the
party urged others in society to "do their part". "All
Guyanese, including political groups and the entire media landscape must
take a side - the side of the law and help fight crime; there is no room
for ambivalence and cloaked attacks against the Guyana Police Force or its
special anti-crime unit." The
main Opposition People's National Congress Reform on Tuesday also issued a
statement condemning the killing of the couple. Witnesses
said the two were killed by identifiable gunmen.
Bandits
attack, rob brother of slain businessman
By Chamanlall Naipaul
JUST
more than a week after bandits brutally murdered a businessman and his
wife at Annandale, East Coast Demerara, an armed gang yesterday
attacked and robbed another member of the family, in a village about a
mile-and-a-half from the first attack.
Six
bandits early yesterday morning struck at the Mon Repos home of Bhagwat
Persaud and his family and fled in a waiting car with $400,000 and a box
containing an undisclosed sum of money, the family said. The
gang attacked at about 05:45 hrs as Persaud, 40, was about to leave for
work. Persaud
is the brother of Ramdeo Persaud, 43, known as David and `Sweetie Man',
who along with his reputed wife, Mahadai Magoo, 34, also called Sita
Persaud, was shot dead, execution-style, when six bandits stormed their
home at 57, Peter Street, Annandale North, two Saturday nights ago. Persaud
told the Chronicle that he was on the bridge to his yard at around 05:30
hrs yesterday and went back inside to get a shirt before leaving for
work. On
entering the house he said he saw someone move and momentarily thought
it was a member of his family who had come from the upper flat of the
two-flat house.
But
to his shock, it was a bandit armed with a gun who demanded from him
the "box with the money and jewellery."
Persaud
said he was then escorted to his room upstairs and to his amazement
three other armed bandits were already there. He
said he handed over a box with money and his wife Zabeda Ali, who was
awake, was hit a few times by the bandits, but no other force was used. After
he handed over the money the bandits demanded more, the businessman
related. He
said he took them downstairs to a storeroom where there was a drawer
with about $400,000, which the bandits took. They
then fled in a gold/peach car believed to be a Toyota Carina in which
two more bandits had been waiting, he said. Persaud
said the Police were summoned, arrived on the scene about 10 minutes
after and took statements from members of the family. A
brother-in-law of the family who resides abroad but came home for the
funeral of Ramdeo Persaud and his wife, told the Chronicle that his
suitcase and briefcase with his passport and other documents which were
in the same room the bandits went into, were untouched. Persaud,
who is also in the confectionery business his slain brother was in,
recalled that last Friday one of the bandits wearing a `tope' hat and
hiding his face, had passed by and was looking suspiciously in the
direction of his house. He
was wearing the same hat and hiding his face in a similar manner at the
time of the robbery yesterday, Persaud added. He
also said it was very noticeable that the bandits did not touch anything
with their hands, but used their guns to move aside anything that was in
their way. This,
he suggested, was to ensure that they did not leave any fingerprints. Persaud
is upset about the impression being created by certain media houses and
TV `talk show hosts'. In
particular, he cited the example of one `talk show host' who had implied
that his brother had been involved in illegal and `underhand business'
by rhetorically asking the question, "If selling two pack of corn
curls and sweets can result in amassing such wealth?" He
also feels that a newspaper report which said a box containing $8M and
jewellery had been received by him after his brother's death could have
contributed to yesterday's attack. Meanwhile, residents and relatives who gathered at the home yesterday morning to provide moral support to the family, expressed anger at the spate of crimes and are disappointed that the authorities have not been able to apprehend the criminals at large or curb the attacks on innocent civilians.
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