A 29-year-old labourer and his reputed wife were on Friday remanded to prison after they were charged with the murder of Gopaul Seeram, the Cane Grove, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara man who was beaten to death last Tuesday night.
Dhanraj Ramkishan called `Ganda’ of Long Dam, Cane Grove, ECD and Deomattie Salikram also known as `Shobna’, 43, a resident of Helena #1, Mahaica appeared before Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court.
It is alleged that on February 4 at Cane Grove, Mahaica, ECD, they murdered Seeram.
They were not required to plead to the capital offence. The matter was adjourned to February 28.
Both Ramkishan and Salikram were taken into custody last Wednesday morning, hours after they allegedly beat Seeram, also known as Eyelash’ and `Kumar’, a labourer of Long Dam resulting in his death.
The incident had taken place between 6pm and 9pm last Tuesday during which Seeram was beaten about his body including his head. He was taken to the Mahaicony Hospital and was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.
An autopsy later showed that Seeram died as a result of multiple injuries due to blunt trauma.
The couple do not live together but Salikram would visit Ramkishan’s home from time to time. Ramkishan is Seeram’s neighbour.
The police in a press statement had said that enquiries revealed that Salikram would usually called Seeram’s wife, Shakeela Kishore to enquire if Ramkishan was at home before going to his place.
Last Tuesday, the police said that Salikram called Kishore who reportedly ended the call without responding. “The female suspect, later went to the deceased’s (Seeram’s) home, confronted his spouse (Kishore) and they had an exchange of words which led to the intervention of their husbands (Seeram and Salikram),” the police had explained.
During the process, the police said the suspects allegedly armed themselves with two pieces of wood which they used to beat Seeram.
Kishore had explained to this newspaper that Salikram telephoned her last Tuesday morning and she answered the phone but subsequently ended the call after she realised it was the neighbour’s reputed wife.
According to Kishore, Salikram would call her on a regular basis to enquire about her husband’s whereabouts.
Kishore had further explained that hours after the call, Salikram arrived at Ramkishan’s house and complained to him that she had called Kishore who “cut off” the phone on her.
“…She seh that how them think me want them man…Me nah answer she, me lef she. And she deh cuss, cuss and we deh inside….me husband ah hear she. When he come out now, he tell the husband (male suspect) how yuh wife ah come and cuss people ah back hay…she cuss me husband, meh husband cuss she and she run go station,” Kishore had said.
She related that Salikram went to the police station to lodge a report and returned with the police.
According to Kishore, the suspects them started to imbibe alcohol at their home. “When it reach 6 o’clock now them start cuss we again. She and she husband after them start drink and start cuss we, me husband jump up because he (Ramkishan) start cuss up meh husband….and me husband tell am seh who he think he ah talk to that how them two nah got one problem, wah he ah cuss am fah,” Kishore had explained.
She had further related that Ramkishan rushed over to their place in a fit of rage.
“The boy (Ramkishan) run over by we and hold me husband by he shirt and start chuck am up and pull he over he place. And when them pull he now, them tek one wood, he and he wife and them lash he pun he foot. When them lash he pun he foot, he fall down. When he fall down, he can’t get up. He seh ‘ow, ow’ and the man and he wife start beat he. All ova he skin. He can’t get up,” Kishore related.
An alarm was raised and the police were summoned.
