Two youths, including a former murder accused, were on Friday charged with the murder of Anita Baichan, who burned to death in her home after it was set on fire by bandits two weeks ago.
Rooplall Abrahim, 24, and Gocoul Madanpaul, 18, were remanded to prison when they appeared before Magistrate Rhondel Weaver at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court.
Abrahim, of Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, and Madanpaul, called ‘Clown,’ of 175 Block ‘D’ Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, were not required to offer a plea to the charge. According to the charge, they murdered Baichan on January 3 at Hope, West Coast Berbice.
They were both remanded to prison until February 3.
Abrahim is expected to face two other murder charges for the murders of Arthur Doodnauth Rajkumar and Dianne Devi Chamanlall, who were fatally chopped in their home a week ago.
Madanpaul and Neeman Rafeek, 19, called ‘Shazam’ of Lot 5 Bush Lot New Housing Scheme were charged with the couple’s murders on Wednesday in the Fort Wellington court.
Abrahim was apprehended on Tuesday at Number 4 Village, West Coast Berbice, and police say he confessed to both murders.
Madanpaul and Rafeek were captured separately on Saturday after the fatal attack on the couple and police have said they confessed their involvement in the crime as well as in the robbery and arson at Hope, in which Baichan was burned to death.
Baichan and her son, Moshim Khan, had been attacked in their home by bandits two weeks ago. The woman had been bound and gagged by the two bandits, who had brutalised both her and her son, and then set the house on fire as they escaped. Khan managed to free himself but was unable to save his mother. Meanwhile, Stabroek News learnt that Abrahim, a father of four, was previously charged with the 2008 murder of 13-year-old Kavita Panday. At the time he was charged, he was just 16.
In 2011, after deliberating for almost two hours, a mixed jury in the Berbice Assizes returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty in favour of Abrahim, called Vijay, who was on trial for the murder of a the girl.
