The police in Berbice were able to reunite a Corentyne woman and her one-month-old baby girl yesterday morning due to fast-paced work after the woman’s ex-husband ran off with the infant into the Corentyne backlands on Monday evening.
Nalinie Sukhoo Singh, 32, of Number 72 Village, Corentyne, reported to the police that her ex-husband Satesh Jagnauth, a 28, fisherman of Number 72 Village, Corentyne, assaulted her and then took her one-month-old baby and ran off into the backlands on Monday night.
According to the police, Singh said her ex-husband Jagnauth was out at sea fishing and had returned after 14 days on Monday and immediately after arrived at her residence to visit their one-month-old daughter.
“Singh said she gave him the child to hold in the yard, and after a few minutes, she approached him to collect the child, and an argument ensued between them. Jagnauth, who at the time appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, then put the child down on a table and dealt Singh several lashes about her body with a stick, after which he picked up the child and ran into some bushes in the back of the yard and began to head for the backlands”, the police’s statement on the matter relayed yesterday.
However, the woman immediately reported the incident to the police at the Springlands Police Station at about 8.56 pm on Monday.
According to the statement, the ranks made checks at the suspect’s parents’ house located at Number 55 Village, Corentyne, where his 66-year-old mother said she had not seen Jagnauth for weeks.
Further checks were made at his sister’s residence at Number 55 Village, Corentyne, but this was also futile. Police also made checks in the Number 72 backlands, but these were unsuccessful.
The statement said that “the Police ranks did not give up and continued their search throughout the night. At about 8:30 hrs this morning (Tuesday), based on information received, Police went to a house at No. 72 Village where they saw the suspect and the baby. The suspect was seen running away with the baby, and the Police chased him. The baby was later found abandoned near a trench at No. 67 Village Corentyne, Berbice by Constable #25077 Ramdeo and the Special Patrol Region No. 6.”
The baby was picked up in a conscious state and taken to the Skeldon Public Hospital. There, she was seen and examined by a doctor on duty and was admitted under observation at the said hospital with her mother, and her condition listed at stable.
