Third suspect held in taxi driver murder probe

Police have confirmed that a third person was held for questioning in connection with the death of 17-year-old taxi driver Dhanraj Latchman.

Police yesterday said too, that the two suspects held confessed to strangling him with a severed seat belt on Wednesday, at Parika Backdam.

According to ‘D’ Division Commander Senior Superintendent Ian Amsterdam, the 17-year-old’s body was discovered after 6 pm when police were led to the crime scene by the two suspects. He said the body was in the early stages of decomposition and covered in slush.

When this newspaper enquired about police plans to ensure the suspects are kept in custody and investigations proceed uninterrupted, Amsterdam said, “We are in the process of applying for an extension” from the High Court.

Dhanraj Latchman
Dhanraj Latchman

Latchman, of lot 115 Lugisnan, East Coast Demerara, went missing on Tuesday, after he had failed to return home from a hire to Parika. He had been contracted by a 17-year-old and another man in his 20s, from the community.

Latchman’s mother, Taramattie Daby, had voiced her suspicion to this newspaper, hours before her son’s body was discovered. “I feel they know what happened to my son,” Daby had opined, indicating that the two suspects were giving conflicting accounts of what transpired.

Additionally Daby had told this publication that when the police had approached him the 17-year-old started to cry. She added that an older male was seen urging the teenager to maintain that he knew nothing.

Following the discovery of the car Latchman had been driving, his relatives said a long knife was found under a seat and the two suspects were arrested and interrogated by the police.

Investigations are still underway.