THE police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder of 23-year-old Navindra Samaroo, who was ‘gunned down’ while in his car, PPP1645, on July 23, 2020, at Middle Road La Penitence.

Reports indicated that Samaroo who resided at West La Penitence was returning to work from his lunch break, when he was shot. A resident of Middle Road La Penitence told the Guyana Chronicle that she was not outside at the time, and did not look outside, initially, since the sound of gunshot is a normal occurrence in the Middle Road La Penitence area. However, she stated that when she did, she saw the man lying in the vehicle and several residents rushed to his aide.

According to another neighbour, two men who were on a motorcycle were seen leaving the area following the shooting. It is believed that the two men were the perpetrators of the gruesome act. The Guyana Chronicle spoke to Samaroo’s father who declined to give his name but gave his alias, ‘policeman’. He stated that he had no actual knowledge of what happened leading up to his son’s last minutes. He said that he received a call sometime around 13:30 hrs and was told that his son was shot minutes after leaving his home.

“Well I received a call from my niece that my son got shot on Middle Road and he is at the hospital. And we went there and was told that he died, but I aint get no information into what happened but I was made to understand that he not too long before left home to go back to work, because he was on his lunch break, and as he was making his way back is when he was shot,” the father related.

He explained that he had received the information that a blue haversack that his son usually has with him was not found in his possession. It is believed that the attackers may have thought that the bag contained money and took it with them after killing Samaroo. The man’s employer, Rampertab Etwaru, the CEO of his place of employment, J&J Phone card Investment was visibly upset by the news and stated that he received a call and was told that Samaroo was shot. He said that it was unreal to him as the manager had just two minutes prior spoken to Samaroo.
“I just got a call about 1:20 from his mother saying that he was shot. Apparently he went home to get his food and coming out back then they traced him here. Today he just went to the bank and then GRA and after GRA he went home to collect his lunch and come back. But I don’t believe anyone traced him from the bank because he spent quite some time at GRA,” explained Etwaru.

He stated that Samaroo was a marketing representative in his company and stated that while Samaroo has the ability of collecting monies from customers and clients on behalf of the company, at the time of his death Samaroo was not in possession of any money from the company or any monies to be delivered to the company from any of its customers. Etwaru described his now deceased employee as ‘very willing’. Meanwhile the police are still carrying out their investigations with the aid of surveillance footage from residents of the area, to ascertain the identity of the individuals involved in the murder of 23-year-old Samaroo.