The five men who were charged jointly and remanded to prison for the murder of Danian Jagdeo, a phone card distributor, who was shot and killed on February 8, at Adventure, Corentyne during a robbery, yesterday made their second court appearance in the Whim Magistrate’s Court.
The quintet: Mark Dhuman, 22, a businessman of Lot 109 Nigg Settlement, Corentyne; Abdul Andre Azimullah, 34, a cattle farmer of Lot 183 Hampshire Village; Abdul Zahir, 28, a cane harvester of New Scheme, Adelphi Village, East Canje; Shannon Batson, 24, a livestock farmer, of Topoo, Corentyne and Satesh Budhram, 19, a painter of Lot 70 C Hampshire Village, Corentyne, appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga.
On February 16, during the men’s first court appearance, Artiga read the charge which stated that on February 8 the men murdered Jagdeo during the course of a robbery. The accused were not required to plead to the indictable charge and were remanded.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Police Prosecutor Phillip Sheriff told the court that the file was completed and was to be returned to Berbice within a week from the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters in Georgetown.
Dhuman’s attorney, Murseline Bacchus made an application for disclosure of the file, which the magistrate granted.
The men are to return to court on March 14.
As the accused left the court, they all spoke to their family members who were gathered outside, while Jagdeo’s wife, Mary Jagdeo, stood in a corner and stared at them.
On February 8, Jagdeo, 36, of Lot 12 Section G, King’s Street, Williamsburg Village, Corentyne, had left his home before dawn to ply his trade as a phone card distributor. Jagdeo, who supplied phone cards to store owners on the entire Corentyne up to Crabwood Creek, had stopped at a shop on the main road in Adventure around 3.30 pm, when a man wearing a hat to hide his face entered. Jagdeo became suspicious and asked the shopkeeper if she knew the man. She said no and the man whipped out a gun and fired a shot.
According to reports, a scuffle ensued between Jagdeo and the gunman, who shot him twice. The bandit then grabbed Jagdeo’s bag and ran outside, where his accomplice, who wore a full face helmet, was waiting for him on a stolen motorcycle. The two men reportedly rode to Friendship, Corentyne, where they left the motorcycle and were then picked up by a silver-coloured car. They drove to Springlands, Corentyne but then reportedly turned around and proceeded back to Rose Hall Town.
According to the autopsy, Jagdeo died due to shock and haemorrhaging. Two warheads were removed from Jagdeo’s body during the autopsy.
Jagdeo was a father of two sons and two daughters. He was known as a hard-working and family-oriented man.
