THE man who torched his reputed wife’s house last Saturday at Industry, East Coast Demerara, before committing suicide, was laid to rest in his hometown of Essequibo Tuesday.Vinod Narine, 55, torched his reputed wife’s leaving six others homeless, before taking his own life by ingesting a poisonous substance.
Narine succumbed several hours after he was rushed to the hospital on Saturday after he reportedly drank a potion he concocted with rat poison and gramoxone, a herbicide.
He was under police guard after he was found lying in a semi-conscious state on a dam, a short distance from his residence.
It was reported that shortly before 11:00 hrs on Saturday, Narine, a taxi driver/interior worker, used an accelerant and started a fire at the Fourth Street, Industry Sideline Dam home while the other occupants were out.
Within minutes the two-storeyed building which housed two families was reduced to a pile of rubble, causing millions of dollars in losses.
The upper flat was occupied by the owner, Nadira Gossai, a domestic worker, her two children and Narine and the lower flat was rented by Natasha Chintaman and her husband and a son.
The eight-year-old relationship between Gossai and Narine was marred by loud fights and quarrels which usually went late into the night, much to the annoyance of neighbours.
Some neighbours recall not having a full night’s sleep since the couple moved to the location and recently, after the couple would imbibe alcohol together there was certain to be a ruckus after.
The incident was not surprising to neighbours who said that Narine had often threatened to burn the house. However, residents praised the efforts of several villagers and firefighters, who responded to the scene of the fire and doused the flames which had threatened to consume nearby houses.