POST mortems were performed, yesterday, on the bodies of cambio dealer Totaram Mootoo and his wife, Bhagmattie, whose charred remains were found in their bed on May 10, following an explosion and fire at their Area ‘Q’ Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown home. The results showed that the man died from smoke inhalation, compounded by burns trauma while his wife succumbed to blunt trauma to the back and burns trauma.
This apparently contradicts claims made by persons in the area that gunshots and a loud explosion were heard prior to the start of the fire that destroyed the Mootoos’ home, because the PMs revealed no gunshot injuries on the bodies.

A source close to the investigation told this publication it was very possible that the person(s) responsible for the deaths of the couple may have confined them to one area of the house before setting the place alight. Based on results of the post-mortem, the police are concluding that the house was set alight while the couple was still alive, hence the smoke inhalation aspect of the report.

Police reported that, about 00:35 hrs last Friday, the burnt remains of the businessman called ‘Beer’, 54, and his wife, Bhagmattie called ‘Dolly’, 48, were discovered in a bedroom on the upper flat of their house, which had been destroyed by a fire of, so far, unknown origin.                  
Initially, several persons were detained for questioning but were later released pending further investigations and, up to press time, police were in the process of acquiring video footage from several close circuit television cameras in the area.
Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle said, yesterday, that how the blaze started is yet to be determined and is still being investigated by the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).
He said they received a call and responded to an explosion at the Mootoos’ home where they contained the flames and, after the occupants were not accounted for, a search was carried out and that led to the remains of the couple being found in bed, on the upper flat of the two-storey house.
Early Friday morning, persons in the area recalled hearing the explosion and saw thick smoke billowing from the home of the Mootoos causing the GFS to be summoned.
Some of those who rushed to the scene said the smoke prevented them from venturing inside the building but they managed to drive out a vehicle from the premises.