THE WORST fears of four children were confirmed Friday when the skeletal remains, suspected to be that of their mother, was dug up in the backyard of the Black Bush Polder

(BBP) home she shared with her husband.
Lilwantie Ballack known as “Daling” of Lot 17 Mibicuri North, BBP, was last seen and heard from sometime in August 2016, a few days before her 40th birthday and the family was told by the husband, 45-year-old Sunildatt Ballack, that she was visiting relatives in the United States (U.S.).

However, seven months later the woman’s children did not hear from her, something they found to be rather strange. It was not until March 29, 2017, after visiting the office of the Prime Minister in Region Six, that an official report was made to the police. The father, who is a farmer, was immediately taken into custody; he initially denied knowledge of her whereabouts but cracked under pressure during interrogation and reportedly confessed to her murder on Thursday night.

He reportedly strangled her until she became unconscious. It was then that he decided to bury her in a garden aback of his yard at Mibicuri North, Black Bush Polder. The couple had lived together for 20 years. On Friday morning, Sunildatt took investigators to the scene of the crime and indicated where he buried the body.
It took the police approximately two hours to locate the remains in a six-foot grave, aback the man’s garden, which is approximately 300 feet behind their house. Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, was on scene and conducted an on-site autopsy and according to Commander of the Division, Ian Amsterdam, a DNA test will be conducted to confirm if the remains are those of Lilwantie.

“With the help and direction of the suspect, the police were able to recover bones and skull”, Commander Amsterdam said in a brief comment to the media. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department ‘B’ Division were assisted by ranks of the Major Crimes Unit.

THE COVER-UP
The couple have four children together; a 22-year-old son and two daughters, ages 20 and 17 and later, they had adopted a seven-year-old girl. The accused visited his his 20-year-old daughter Darshanie Devi Ballack on September 6, 2016 at her Friendship Village, Corentyne home and informed her that her mother was visiting relatives overseas and would not be able to attend her wedding reception, which was held on September 11, 2016.

“Daddy come on the 6th and say mommy send the ring for the reception but she nah gun make it because she gah fly out the next day,” the daughter told this newspaper.
Darshanie said that while she thought it was strange that her mother was leaving without seeing her before the reception, she did not think anything of it. However, after a few weeks of not hearing from her mother, she enquired from relatives overseas of the woman’s whereabouts.

Relatives in the U.S. said they had not seen or heard from the woman; the daughter became worried after the father provided different accounts of the woman’s location to family members. She further related that two months after her mother allegedly went missing, her father took a 22-year-old woman as his common law wife. The children said it was painful when they realised the younger woman was wearing their mother’s wedding ring.

ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
This newspaper was informed that the woman opted to leave the abusive relationship she had endured with her husband and wanted to move to the U.S.
However, Sunildatt was not too happy about this and the two argued about the issue, during which he physically assaulted her. According to police sources, Sunildatt confessed that he strangled the woman until she died in his arms. He then removed her jewellery before burying her in the backyard.

He told investigators that he gave one of the rings to his daughter as a wedding gift and another to his young lover. Relatives said that Sunildatt has a history of physical abuse and according to the police, as recent as February 2017, a report was filed at the Mibicuri Police Station by his new lover.
The new lover reportedly moved out of the house and Sunildatt went to her parents’ home and pleaded with them to let her return. She was also taken into custody as investigations continue into the murder of Lilwantie.

A MOTHER’S CRY
Meanwhile, as news spread of the incident, scores of residents gathered at the scene on Friday, while others climbed trees to get a better vantage point of police digging up the grave.
Many residents expressed disappointment and disgust over the action of the accused. They described Lilwantie as a “perfect wife” and a hard worker who would toil many hours with Balack in their farm.

The parents of Lilwantie sat on the side of the street and looked on helplessly as investigators did their work. They were surrounded and comforted by family members.
Her mother, Premdai Mangar, said her son-in-law had informed them that Lilwantie was in the U.S., but changed his story after the family sought more answers.
“He does come say he call she but she can’t talk long cause she at work. When we ask he why she not call home, he does say she don’t have phone, she does use the boss phone,” the grieving mother said.

With tears streaming down her face, the woman said she lost her only daughter.
“This is a terrible blow. Me feel me can fall down meh self; meh one and only daughter.”
Lilwantie’s eldest child, Khemraj Balack,22, said that a few days ago he asked his father the whereabouts of his mother, but was told to “Go look for she if you want know.”
The son said that on many occasions he asked his father to launch a search for the woman, but he refused.

“I tell he me not come to fight with you, me just want know where Mommy deh if she dead or if she alive and if anything happen to she, you gon have to pay for it,” the young man told this newspaper.
He wants justice to be served and believes that his father should face the full penalty for what he did. Sunildatt is expected to be charged with murder soon.