Elderly Albouystown couple in suspected suicide pact
Fazil Ali Mohamed and his wife Bibi Shakilah Mohamed in happier times
Fazil Ali Mohamed and his wife Bibi Shakilah Mohamed in happier times

By Rabindra Rooplall

TWO prominent business owners in James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown committed suicide on Wednesday, leaving behind four children and several grandchildren.Dead are 65-year-old Fazil Ali Mohamed and his wife Bibi Shakilah Mohamed, 55, of Lot 8 James Street, Albouystown. They were the owners of Shireen’s Grocery Store.

The elderly couple was rushed to the Woodlands Hospital after consuming gramoxone but died while receiving medical attention.

Their eldest daughter, Bibi Hussain told the Guyana Chronicle during an exclusive interview that her parents suffered from many medical complications, including diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

DEPRESSION
She said her father suffered from depression and was a patient of Psychiatrist Dr. Bhiro Harry at the Georgetown Public Hospital. “My father said everyday he was going through the same struggle and it was better to take his own life and end his suffering,” Hussain told this newspaper.

Fighting back tears, Hussain said her mother could not live without her father and it appeared as if they had planned to commit suicide together. In reflecting on the circumstances, Hussain said her parents had a daily routine and would retire to bed at 23:00hrs but that was not the case on Tuesday night.

“But that night (Tuesday) they did not go to bed at that time, they went downstairs and it appeared as if they mixed the gramoxone with a bottle of cokes (Coca-Cola) that was also found on the ground, and they both drank it thinking they would have died instantly, but they didn’t.”

With tears welling up, she said her parents must have regretted their decision after realizing the painful experience before they succumbed. Residents of the community were shocked upon learning of the incident. “They looked alright the same day and no one would have suspected they would have done that. It’s like it’s unbelievable and just sad, only God knows what happened,” one resident noted.

Guyana is reported to have the highest suicide rate per capita in the world. Reports reveal that there are 44.2 suicides per 100,000 people in the South American nation, compared to the global average of 16 per 100,000. Over the last decade or so a person ended his or her life every 1.8 to 2.4 days in Guyana. Suicide is ranked in the top 10 causes of death for the last several decades in Guyana.

 

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