An elderly woman was beaten to death at Montrose, East Coast Demerara, in an attack that was recorded by surveillance cameras, which police are hoping will lead them to the killer.
Danrasie ‘Carmin’ Ganesh, 77, was killed in the two-storey building for which she had been the caretaker.
After spending over two hours in the house, the killer left with a small bag containing jewellery. However, other valuables were not troubled, leading the woman’s family to believe that robbery was not the primary motive behind her murder.
The killer, who was armed with a spanner, did not pay attention to the surveillance cameras, which captured every blow he dealt to the woman.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum has since confirmed that police are reviewing footage captured by cameras at the property in hopes of identifying the perpetrator.
Asked whether there was any possible motive for the killing beside robbery, Blannum said that it was too early to tell.
Ganesh’s daughter, Sandra, said a neighbour called her at about 9:30AM to enquire about her mother.
The neighbour was concerned after not seeing the woman in the yard as she would often be up by 6AM, when she would sweep the leaves that dropped from the large mango tree and flower plants. He said that after repeated calls to her went unanswered, he decided to call her relatives to enquire about her.
Sandra said since her mother did not visit other relatives who live nearby, she assumed that the woman may have ventured to the market.
However, since it was strange that neighbours did not see her mother around, Sandra said that she went to the house and began calling at the gate. She and other family members were greeted with a locked gate.
One of Ganesh’s sons then decided to jump over the fence. Since the front door of the house was locked, he ventured to a rear entrance, where he entered and he discovered his mother’s body slumped in a pool of blood, Sandra said.
When Stabroek News visited the house, the floor of the kitchen was covered in blood. Relatives and villagers gathered at the house, where they voiced shock at the woman’s death.
Surprise attack
The surveillance footage, according to Sandra, captured the man as he hid in a parked car in the yard that belongs to the owners of the house. He was seen observing Ganesh as she ventured into the yard, where she picked flowers for prayers. Because the yard has high grass and huge flower plants, he was not visible to the unsuspecting woman.
He followed her into the house, where he hid in a corner, armed with the spanner.
Later, when Ganesh walked into the kitchen, the killer attacked, striking the woman to her head. Even though she attempted to block the blow, her efforts were in vain. The single blow that connected to the woman’s head floored her.
The killer then tied her neck with a piece of cloth and he trampled her. The woman lay on the ground helpless as the man calmly searched the house.
Relatives said that based on the recording the man was in the house before 6AM and he periodically trampled the woman and struck her with a spanner every time he passed her body. “If you see how she foot kicking and so the man a fyah lash,” a relative said as she added that the killer opened the fridge and drank juice, then wiped his face with a towel before continuing to batter the woman.
The man eventually calmly walked out of the yard, scaled the fence and stood a few minutes on the road before boarding a bus heading in the direction of Georgetown. By this time it was after 8AM, relatives said.
Neighbours said that they did not hear any screams or anything suspicious coming from the house during the attack
According to members of Ganesh’s family, she had no conflict with anyone, although she was party to a land dispute that is currently engaging the court.
Ganesh’s property, situated about three houses away from where the murder occurred, is located behind a popular business place on the public road. Relatives said that the businessman had encroached on the woman’s lot and occupied a section, where a septic tank was built.
The owners of the property where Ganesh was killed live overseas. Although the house is furnished with valuables, they trusted Ganesh, who had been caring for them since they were children about 40 years ago.
Ganesh, according to relatives, had furnished a room at one of her sons’ houses where she wanted to move but owing to requests by her employers that she continue to oversee the property for just another month, she did not move.
Ganesh was the mother of six children. She was very active and always busied herself to maintain the property, relatives said.
