WHILE many people are in high spirits, making preparations for the Christmas holidays, some won’t be celebrating this year as they remain in deep mourning following the tragic loss of loved ones.
Khaneeza Allie, mother of Bibi Zareya Ali, better known as “Allyah,” of Clifton Settlement, Corentyne, Berbice, is one of those people.
It has been five months since the eldest daughter of the family was killed in a car accident in the early hours of July 22, 2024, and it remains very difficult for her parents and her two younger sisters, all of whom are still coping with grief.

Mrs Allie, still shell-shocked, told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is trying her best to be strong for the rest of her family, but they have not been the same since receiving the dreadful news of Allyah’s passing.
She reported that some days are tougher than others, and she struggles to find the will to do anything, but she must make the effort to support her two daughters and husband.

“We are suffering daily. We haven’t been the same since Allyah died, and it is affecting us—even my younger daughters—but we are trying to keep it together. Around this time of the year, it is even worse since she is not with us anymore. Thinking about it is very painful,” Mrs Allie said.

She added that she doesn’t know if she will ever recover from such a loss. Allyah was such a lovely girl—so young, so trusting—and she died in such a way that they could not even have an open-casket funeral for her.
Allyah, only 17 years old, had left home to live with her boyfriend, Nirav Sukdeo, in Lancaster Village.

The Sukdeo family operates a medical laboratory, where Allyah worked for a year and met Nirav, a medical technologist. Despite leaving her job, Allyah continued to communicate with Nirav, who encouraged her to live with him. The last time Mrs Allie saw her daughter alive was in June when Allyah returned home for a week after an alleged fallout with Nirav.

“It hurts me a lot to this day because she was so young and had her whole life ahead of her,” the grieving mother said.
Despite their best efforts to provide counselling and guidance, Allyah’s dreams of becoming a nurse and attending the University of Guyana, Tain Campus, were tragically cut short.

Mrs Allie expressed her profound sorrow, saying, “I feel so confused, sad. My heart is in pieces, knowing that my eldest child is no more. The way she died—in the most horrific way—it’s not real that this is happening to us.”
On the morning of the fatal accident, Mrs Allie was in Trinidad and Tobago on a 10-day trip. She rushed back to Guyana after receiving the dreadful news to support her family.

Mr Allie, her father and a mechanic, recalled receiving a call at 02:50 hrs. on Monday, informing him of the accident. He rushed to the scene and later to the Skeldon Hospital, where he finally saw his daughter’s mangled body.
Overwhelmed by the extent of her injuries, he said, “When I saw my daughter’s body, it was like her entire body was broken. Even her head was missing parts. She looked so broken, and in pieces; it was hard to witness.”

Police Report of the Accident
The police said they are currently investigating the fatal incident, which occurred at approximately 02:10 hrs. on Monday, July 22, 2024, on Kiltern Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice.
The accident involved a motorcar (#PAF 6330) driven by Nirav, with Allyah as the lone passenger. According to the police, the car was travelling north at a high speed when Sukdeo lost control, colliding with a crane parked on the roadside.

The vehicle ended up in a canal, and Allyah was ejected into the water. Public-spirited citizens transported both Sukdeo and Allyah to the hospital.
Allyah was pronounced dead on arrival, while Sukdeo, critically injured, was warded in the Intensive Care Unit at the Anamayah Memorial Hospital. Investigations into the accident are ongoing. The matter is still in court. The Allies made their third court appearance on December 11, 2024, and the matter will be called again on January 8, 2025.