Canefield man murders wife, kills self

Rohanie Lakhan and Ramesh Ramdeen
Rohanie Lakhan and Ramesh Ramdeen

An Albion Estate cane planter yesterday chopped his wife to death and then killed himself at their Lot 101 Kilcoy, Chesney, New Housing Scheme home around 1.30 pm.

The woman, Rohanie Lakhan, also known as “Sabrina”, 29, was in the process of ending their marriage after years of abuse, when the man, Ramesh Ramdeen, 44, originally from Canefield Village murdered her,  leaving their three children as orphans.

Lakhan, who was discovered in a pool of blood in a bedroom in the upper flat of the house sustained a silt on her throat and a chop wound on her hand, while Ramdeen, who was discovered in a pool of blood in the lower flat of the house slit his throat. The suspected murder weapon, a cane harvester’s cutlass was retrieved from next to Lakhan’s body. 

Relatives and friends gathered

Stabroek News was told that the woman had filed a report against the man who would often physically and verbally abuse her. Yesterday, the duo appeared in the Albion’s Magistrate Court, where Ramdeen was ordered to pay $15,000 in child support for the three children: ages 13, 8 and 6.

Lakhan had also taken out a protection order against Ramdeen and requested to move out from the house. As such, Sergeant 15818 Williams and a constable accompanied her along with the man’s sister to their house in order for her to remove her belongings.

Stabroek News was told that at the request of the man’s sister, the police left the woman to pack her clothes and headed back to the station. A short while after the sister also proceeded to her own house in Canje, leaving the couple alone.

The house where the killing occurred

According to a neighbour, she heard the woman screaming after which Ramdeen abruptly closed their house door from the inside. The neighbour noted that she immediately phoned the Albion Police Station but before the police could return the man had already murdered the woman and killed himself.

Stabroek News was told that the man would often imbibe after which he would physically and verbally abuse the woman.

Neighbours told this newspaper that he would often accuse the woman of having extramarital affairs and threaten to kill her if she ever decided to leave him.

The neighbours said the man’s sister would often intervene and plead with the woman to stay with him.

Meanwhile, the woman’s family verbally abused the police yesterday since the police had been hostile towards then. The sergeant who had accompanied Rohanie home to collect her belongings removed her name tag at the scene as family members were angry over the victim being left alone in the house with the man.

The woman’s mother, Monica Lakhan, yesterday noted that after the court proceedings she spoke with her daughter via telephone. She said her daughter was determined to separate from Ramdeen since she was fearful that one day he might kill her. The woman said that her daughter told her that the police would accompany her home and she would pack her clothes and leave.

The woman added that her daughter who had been living with her for the past week assured her over the phone that she would be fine.

The couple had been together for over 15 years now.