– Mibicuri man, son, brother-in-law gunned down while on fishing trip

By Nafeeza Yahya

POLICE have arrested one person as they probe the apparent execution of a Mibicuri man, his son and his brother-in-law, who had all gone on an overnight fishing trip for the prized Hassar.The men were found dead on Friday morning at the Cookrite Creek Savannah, about three miles from Mibicuri in Black Bush Polder. They were shot at point blank range.

“Each body bore a single gunshot wound,” Police headquarters stated on Friday afternoon.

The men have been identified as Pawan Chandradeo, 37, called “Suresh” and “Jug Up”; his son Jaikarran Chandradeo, 16, called “Kevin”, and his brother-in-law Naresh Rooplall, 35, called “Teeka Bai” and “Mice.”
They were last alive seen on Thursday afternoon at about 15:00h, along with Pawan Chandradeo’s 13-year-old son Alvin, when they left their Lot 163 Mibicuri North home for a fishing trip.

The men were all found lying on the ground. The youngest was found next to his father. He had a gaping hole to the back of his head and a “salt bag” with fish and fishing net strung around his neck.

Rooplall’s body had a hole in the neck and the fishing net was strung over his shoulder. On the ground were the Hassars they had caught, littered with blood and other body matter.

The young Alvin — Chandradeo’s second child — said they had left to go at the creek to catch Hassar, and when they reached the irrigation sluice, his father asked him to wait, since they had a bit more distance to go. The sluice has a security post, and it was thought that Alvin would be safe there, perhaps for just a few hours,
until they returned. They had all planned to spend the night in the backdam, and return home early the next morning.

Hours upon hours passed without any sighting of the trio; and at about 22:00h, young Alvin heard what appeared to be a gunshot, followed a few minutes later by a few more; but he thought nothing of it.

He said he remained at the said spot and slept until Friday morning. When he woke up and realized that his father, brother and uncle had not returned, he went in search of them.
He said he looked for a few hours, but after not locating them, he decided to walk back home to inform his mother.

Chandradeo’s wife, Pam, said when her son came home and told her he could not find the others, she was not too worried, since she knew the distance was quite a bit to get out.
Mrs Chandradeo, who works as a security guard at the Mibicuri Hospital, said she later received a call from a friend who had heard of a shooting and wanted to make sure that it was not any of those who had gone to the backdam. Later, another friend called to tell her that her husband and the others had been shot.

Mrs Chandradeo said she learnt that the Police were heading into the area by boat, and she asked her father to accompany them. From the backdam, Mrs Chandradeo’s father called to relate the dreadful news. She collapsed, and had to be taken to the hospital.

The of aresh Rooplall mother, Shoba Devi Luckicharan, is struggling to come to grips with the motive behind the barbaric act.

“I don’t understand why they were killed so violently… Why them had to kill them?”
Rooplall, a security guard at Skeldon Sugar Estate, resided at #73 Village, Corentyne. This was his first fishing trip to the backdam, since he had been on one week’s leave and had decided to visit his sister in Mibicuri. He leaves to mourn his pregnant wife and an eleven-month-old baby.

Charandeo was a rice farmer and a father of four. His teenage son who was gunned down alongside him worked in the rice fields with him.

Only a month ago, Chandradeo renewed his vows with Pam, his wife of sixteen years, following a brief separation. Apart from Alvin, he leaves to mourn another son, aged 11, and a 9-year-old daughter.

The incident sent shockwaves in the usually quiet farming community. Police Divisional Commander in Berbice, Ian Amsterdam, confirmed that several persons were held for questioning and released, while one person is still in custody assisting with investigations.