SEETA, the cousin of Lakhram Bishundial, told a judge and jury that she thought she was in dreamland when an armed robber held up their parked pick-up in 2010 and demanded the bag with the money.
The felony murder left Lakhram Bishundial called ‘Mohan’ dead and Bishundial’s family who had been shopping for a wedding, in a state of mourning.Doodnauth Bishundial of Lot 10 De Hoop, Mahaica, said that Lakhram, now dead, was his eldest son. Doodnauth told presiding Judge Franklyn Holder and the mixed jury at the Demerara Assizes that they were expecting to celebrate the joyous occasion of the wedding of their son, Totaram Bishundial on August 22, 2010.
He had attended the post-mortem which was done by Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh.
Prosecutrix Mrs. Judith Mursalin told the judge and jury in her opening address that on August 21, 2010, Totaram Bishundial left his home at De Hoop and travelled to Georgetown with his cousin Seeta to do some shopping for the wedding. Bishundial also withdrew the sum of $500,000 from Demerara Bank before he left Georgetown to head back home.
On the way he stopped at the Victoria Gas Station to buy gasolene for the pick-up he was driving. He spoke with his brother Lakhram on the cell phone and as he reached Hope, East Coast of Demerara, he saw his brother approaching from another direction driving a lorry.
His brother pulled over and Totaram also stopped, came out of his vehicle and went over to his brother and they began chatting. Then a man approached Totaram from the side of the lorry with a gun and asked for the bag while threatening to shoot.
The man shot Lakhram as he sat in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, then he went to the pick-up where Seeta was sitting with the bag of money and he took the bag and joined another man who was waiting on a motorcycle and they rode off.

Lakhram was placed in Totaram’s vehicle and as he headed towards the hospital in Georgetown, he saw what appeared to be money flying around at Victoria Gas Station and he observed the man with the money bag and gun. Totaram crashed his pick-up to the fence in an attempt to pin the man to the fence. The man fired shots at him and then ran and jumped into a car that had pulled up.
Totaram took his brother to the St.Joseph Mercy Hospital where he subsequently died.
According to the prosecutrix, that same day the co-accused in this matter, Shawn Thom, was arrested at the Victoria Gas Station in relation to the robbery/murder incident.
On Monday, 23rd August 2010, Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh performed a post-mortem on the body of Lakhram Bishundial and found that he had sustained one gunshot wound. He gave the cause of death as perforation of the liver and spleen due to gunshot injuries.
On August 26, the deceased was cremated at the Good Hope Crematorium, East Coast of Demerara.
Based on investigations by the police, the number one accused, Orin David, was arrested on September 10, 2010, at Linden. The following day Inspector Parris held an identification parade in which two witnesses positively identified Orin David as the shooter of Lakhram Bishundial.
Shawn Anthony Thom and Orin David are accused with having on August 21, 2010 murdered Lakhram Bishundial, called ‘Mohan’.
Attorneys-at-Law Mr. Trenton Lake and Mr. George Thomas are representing the accused.
Written By George Barclay