– charges expected soon

FOUR persons are in police custody as investigations continue into the murder of a 72-year-old pensioner of Strathspey, East Coast Demerara.

Dead is Deochand Ramsahoye, 72, of Lot 109 Pump Road, Strathspey, East Coast Demerara. He was beaten at home on Sunday night and succumbed to his injuries in the wee hours of Monday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Ramsahoye received injuries to the head and about the body; it is alleged that he was beaten with a mop stick and a music amplifier in the head.

The pensioner had suffered a stroke, leaving the entire right side of his body paralysed. An autopsy is expected to be done this week as investigations continue.

The pensioner had lived in the community for over 20 years with his family and worked as a police constable at the La Bonne Intention sugar estate.

Reports indicate that one of the pensioner’s four sons, Rajwant “Navin” Ramsahoye, allegedly stole cash and a gold chain from his employer who came with others to retrieve it.

The family said they have not heard or seen Rajwant since he left home on January 15, 2020.

At the time of the beating, Deochand was at home with his wife, two sons, his daughter-in-law and his grandchild.

The police reported that at around 02:45hrs, his daughter-in-law Taijwattie Bhawanie awoke to the sound of a window being smashed.

Upon investigation, she saw four identifiable men hurling objects at the house.
The man’s wife said the suspects broke the gate and entered their yard after which they pelted and smashed windows. She then placed an iron bar at the door to prevent them from entering; they, however, subsequently gained entry.

The man’s grandson, Randy Deochand, explained that the beating stemmed from allegations that one of the man’s sons had stolen an undisclosed amount of cash and a gold chain from his employer.

The suspects subsequently gained entry to the upper flat where the elderly Deochand and his family reside and proceeded to ransack the home, forcing the family to flee the premises.

The men then proceeded to destroyed many of the valuables in the upper and lower flats of the home.

When the men left, Ramsahoye Deochand was discovered covered in blood with lacerations and bruises to his face and about the body.
The attackers had previously thrashed one of Deochand’s sons after accusing him of stealing the cash and gold chain.

This beating reportedly forced the young man into hiding and his employer commenced an intense search for him. They were said to have raided several of his relatives’ homes in Berbice, Linden and Mon Repos.

Not being satisfied, however, the men made their way to his father’s home in an attempt to get him to reveal his son’s location.

But this did not happen, so the men proceeded to thrash the pensioner and ransack his home.