Kidnap and murdered businessman laid to rest

“WOMEN, when you see your husband and children leaving the house, get down on your knees and pray for them.”

This was the tearful appeal from Leela Gurdath, a mourner at yesterday’s funeral service for slain businessman Vernon Roopnarine held at his home at Sum Sum Hill, Claxton Bay. The plea evoked loud sorrowful wails from Roopnarine’s daughter, Nathalia, who was the last member of the family to see Roopnarine alive, having witnessed the kidnapping of her father last Friday. A kidnapping which tragically ended with his horrific murder less than two days later. Investigators suspect that even while the kidnappers were demanding a $3 million ransom from the family, the businessman may have already been killed. An autopsy concluded that Roopnarine was bludgeoned to death. Yesterday, Nathalia seemed dazed with grief sitting next to the coffin, which remained closed for public viewing. The casket was heavily adorned with flowers, with a framed picture of Roopnarine in the middle.  

Before the numerous mourners gathered to pay their final respects to the Central-based businessman, Gurdath criticised the road-block exercises which proved useless since Roopnarine’s bludgeoned body was found on Tuesday at Morne Coco Road, Maraval. Her face awash with tears, Gurdath called upon women to pray for the protection of their families. Roopnarine’s wife, Shafira, who had been under medical watch since the news of her husband’s murder, wept quietly through the service and put on a brave face as she performed the ‘aarti’ (Hindu rites) on the body. But as her sons Bindra, Rudy and Darryl were carrying out the casket for the final rites at the Mosquito Creek, Shafira broke out into loud wailing. The officiating pundit, Capildeo Maharaj, described death as “one of the great mysteries”.  Pundit Maharaj said: “We have created this life ourselves. We seek happiness in material things but in the final analysis, we cannot take anything. It is just the body that dies, but the soul travels on.”