By Rabindra Rooplall

THE police on Saturday night apprehended the prime suspect, who has since confessed to the murder of Timehri mechanic Puranand Baljit. The man is expected to appear in court soon.Investigators revealed that the killer was apprehended in the vicinity of the Kitty seawall. He reportedly told police that when he gained access to Baljit’s room, he hid under his bed before carrying out the gruesome murder. After committing the act, the killer escaped with a number of items from his victim’s home. On Friday, the girlfriend of the prime suspect was taken into police custody.

Baljit, 23, called “Andrew” of 57, Timehri Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was found with several stab wounds about his body, mainly to the chest and shoulder, in his bedroom Thursday night.
Detectives were able to establish that the motive for the murder was robbery. Police said many cell- phones were stolen from Baljit’s room along with other valuables.
Relatives said that the young man repaired computers and mobile phones at home in his spare time. The girlfriend led the police to the man they believe carried out the murder.
Police said a 12-inch knife that was discovered on the window ledge was not the murder weapon; it appeared to have been planted there.
Based on reports, the perpetrator(s) used concrete blocks to climb up to gain access through his bedroom window. Detectives made a break in the case on Friday after they discovered a suspicious mobile phone at the murder scene. Two of the dead man’s close friends were detained on Friday, but were subsequently released. In addition, one girlfriend was also questioned.
Neighbours disclosed that they did not hear any screams emanating from the house where the murder occurred, since someone in the area had been playing music loudly.
Detectives spent all day Friday combing the area and taking statements based on the circumstances under which the body was discovered.
The father, Harichand Baljit and stepmother Simone Baljit, called “Jackie,” were also questioned. They combed a tract adjacent to the house where footprints were found leading to the public road almost 40-feet from the entrance to the house and mechanic workshop. Strands of female hair were also reportedly found in Baljit’s bedroom.
The father of the dead man said he heard his son scream on Thursday night and he rushed over to his bedroom but the door was locked. He then exited the house, climbed through his son’s bedroom window and found him lying in blood. He said his son was then taken by his stepmother to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The window at Baljit’s room was located on the northern section of the flat concrete house. His bed-head was near the window which was not grilled. One of the theories by investigators is that the perpetrator grabbed him by the head while he was sitting next to the window and stabbed him about the body before escaping on foot. Residents in the area said they learnt of the stabbing after 22:00hrs Thursday night and they gathered together and combed the area searching for the attacker.
Described as a quiet individual with few friends, one resident said that Baljit was always easygoing and was almost always seen on his cellphone.
The young man was successful at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations, gaining several subjects, but he chose to assist his father in the mechanical field. His biological mother died when he was just two years old and he was raised by his grandmother, who resides in Berbice. He moved to Soesdyke at the age of 13.