— had pawned vehicle

TULSI Persaud Jr, who passed away on Monday night in a private city hospital after drinking a poisonous substance, is alleged to have owed a debt on his vehicle, which he had reportedly pawned through his gambling activities.

A video of Persaud (not related to the owners of the Toolsie Persaud company) lashing out at a policeman at the Demerara Harbour Bridge went viral on Facebook. Some have claimed that he ingested poison after the bullying he had received on Facebook after the video was posted, but Persaud’s close relatives have said that he had been addicted to gambling and his death is not related to the video posted online.
Mr Persaud had reportedly attempted suicide twice in the past. According to some of his close relatives, Mr Persaud had been in the habit of gambling large sums of money and he had reportedly recently pawned his Toyota Tundra for $500,000 in order to pay off debts.

The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the man had been involved in gambling bets, some of which he had lost, and he had made desperate attempts to borrow money from relatives to reclaim his vehicle. However, the relatives whom he had approached did not offer him any assistance, and that is reportedly the reason why he has ended his life.

The video was posted on social media last month end, and featured him hurling abuses at a police officer who was directing traffic at the Demerara Harbour Bridge(DHB). Commuters gathered as the man continuously hurled abuses at the traffic rank and persons in the vicinity. The man’s actions were recorded over a 10-minute period.

The video attracted thousands of views and dozens of comments on social media, with most persons condemning his actions and many believing he was from the Toolsie Persaud Company, hence they suggested that his actions were typical of rich folks trying to get privileges.