A COUPLE’S estrangement over three weeks ago became more tragic on Father’s Day when the man attacked his wife and other family members and burnt their house down before hanging himself from a guava tree at No. 7 Village, West Coast Berbice.Dead is Nandlall Ragnauth, 48 years, a cane harvester of Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice, who has been described as an abusive man to his 28-year-old wife Hushmanie Rasheed who sustained a stab wound below her breast in the attack before he set the house afire.
According to reports, the man attempted to kill the woman but was restrained by her relatives, including her 21-year-old brother Devanand Tuldas, and another family friend who was identified as Bharat Narine, a 34-year-old fisherman of No. 2 Village, West Coast Berbice.
The Chronicle was told yesterday that the man and his wife who lived at Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice encountered domestic issues three weeks ago and the woman moved out and returned to her family’s home at No.7 Village.
On Sunday evening, the woman and her family were having a Father’s Day get-together when they observed the man at the premises with a knife in hand. He forced his way into the house and attacked his wife but was restrained. The man then set fire to the house and it was burnt down.
The police yesterday, in a statement, confirmed the incident, stating that it occurred at approximately 20.50 hrs on Sunday evening.
The man’s body was retrieved from the guava tree and taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital Mortuary and an autopsy is expected to be done this week.
The injured persons, including the man’s wife, were all treated at the Fort Wellington Hospital while the woman’s brother was admitted to the New Amsterdam Hospital on Sunday evening. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

By Leroy Smith