RESIDENTS of Plaisance yesterday morning found the body of man floating among water lily flowers in a trench along Graham Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara.
The body was later identified as 39-year old Basdeo Rambissoon, a labourer and father of four of 207, Public Road Montrose also on the East Coast of Demerara.

The Guyana Chronicle was told that the man got up early yesterday morning and headed to cut Purine Leaf (A leaf that grows in trenches and canals and used for the serving of meals by Hindus at various religious functions) for a business place in Mon Repos.
Yesterday morning persons passing the area where the man was discovered, raised an alarm and the police at Sparendaam Police Station were informed. Police investigators from the Division also travelled to the area and fished the body out of the trench.
The police then invited the spectators to see if any of them would be able to identify the man. They quickly told investigators that the man was not from the area and none of them would able to identify him.

Shortly after another man who lived a few streets away arrived and was able to identify the man as his cousin. He then went back and informed the man’s relatives via telephone.
It was the man’s two eldest children who arrived at the scene and positively identified the body. They then alerted other relatives including their mother.
Speaking with this publication at the scene the young man who gave his name as Kevin Rambissoon said that his father would usually cut leafs and do other handyman’s work for persons on the East Coast Demerara.

He related that his father who cannot swim and who suffers bouts of fits left the home early yesterday to pick the leaves. He said that when his father left home it was no unusual occurrence since the man leaves home at even earlier at times.
The young man said that his father is also known to be a hard drinker but was not under the influence when he left home. Persons are contending that the man might have suffered a fit while entering the cold water early in the morning and he fell and drowned.
When the police pulled the body from among the purine leaves they turned his body over but were unable to find any marks of violence.
The man leaves to mourn his children ages 9, 12, 19 and 21 along with his wife and several other relatives and friends.
By Leroy Smith