Robbery suspect recaptured at La Penitence with illicit gun

The pistol that was found in the robbery suspect
possession at the time of his arrest.
The pistol that was found in the robbery suspect possession at the time of his arrest.

The decomposed body of a Newtown, Georgetown resident who reportedly went missing on Novem-ber 11, was discovered yesterday morning at about 11 am, aback of Brighton Village, Corentyne.

An investigation has been launched into the death of Rajendra Persaud, 49, of Da Silva Street, Newtown, Georgetown, an employee of Sterling Products Limited.

According to information gathered, the body was discovered in a clump of grass at Brighton backlands, after a cattle farmer detected a pungent scent and decided to investigate.

This publication was told that Persaud had been expected to show up to work on November 11, but failed to do so. The man who lived alone, worked on November 10 and also spoke with his mother on the said day.

His father, former Region Six Chairman, Rohit Persaud, explained to Stabroek News, that Friday November 10 was the last time his son spoke to his mother. However, an alarm about his disappearance was raised on November 11, after he did not contact relatives as he would usually do.

Rohit Persaud said, his son had told his mother that he would be visiting Berbice for his (Rajendra’s) birthday, which is on December 14.

Rohit said that it was around midday yesterday when he received a call that his son’s body had been found on the Corentyne. He confirmed that the body has since been positively identified by relatives, while adding that his son’s bag, wallet, identification card and $5,000 in cash were found in his possession.

The man said that he strongly believes that his son was “killed,” and has since spoken with the crime officers to have the matter properly investigated.

He further told this publication that a CCTV camera captured his son on the night of November 10 purchasing food from a stand opposite his street in the presence of an old man. Persaud added, that he would not tell the police how to do their job, however, he is requesting that they speak with persons from his son’s workplace.

He stressed that the family is also awaiting the post-mortem results which would determine exactly how his son died. How-ever, he is of the opinion that his son’s body was taken to the location where the discovery was made.

According to the father, Rajendra, who is originally from Berbice, attended Queen’s College part-time while living with his aunt in Da Silva Street. However, after his aunt migrated, his son, who is not married, continued to live in the house alone. He said, “He got about four TVs in box and these cassettes [DVDs], he used to enjoy watching TV.”

The father described his son as being a “quiet person with a lot of friends.”