Three held over death of Tuschen fisherman

Three youths are now in custody in connection with the death of a Tuschen fisherman, who went missing last Saturday.

The family of Salman Khan, 21, of 2474 Tuschen, West Coast Demerara, is now seeking to find out what happened to him and who is responsible.

Khan was last seen alive on Saturday, according to his mother, Bibi Khan, who told Stabroek News that her son had only returned home the day before after he went out to sea for 14 days. She added that her son slept home that night and left early last Saturday to discharge a boat. He returned home around 11 for lunch and then headed back out to collect his pay from his boss at around 2.30 pm.

Salman Khan
Salman Khan

Her son, she said, was wearing a pair of black pants, a black shirt, three silver chains, a watch and shades.

Fighting back tears, Bibi stated that she did not hear from him and decided to call him around 9. He answered, she said, and indicated that he was coming home. It was the last time she would speak with him.

According to Bibi, every time she tried to call him afterward, the call would go straight to voicemail. It was then that she decided to go in search of her son. She subsequently discovered, based on information she received from the Tuschen Police Station, that he was at the station earlier with four other boys and that they left together and were seen later drinking at a shop.

The emotional mother stated that she then placed a missing person’s ad on Channel 65 and it was only on Wednesday that somebody called and stated that they had picked up a body at the Cornelia Ida bus shed. The person told her that the individual was unconscious and was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and was then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

Bibi said the family later learned that it was Khan who was found and that he died just two hours after being transferred to the GPH.

According to the grief-stricken mother, her son appeared to have been badly beaten and had several injuries about his body. She added that she was told that when he was discovered, he was only in his underpants and was without his $150,000 pay, his silver chains and his watch.

The family is desperately crying out for assistance to find out what happened.

Stabroek News was told by police that three of the youths, who had been in Khan’s company on the night before he was found at the bus shed, were in custody for questioning by the police.