Two south women murdered

SOUTHERN Division Homicide detectives are probing the murders of two women — one a retired school-teacher who was found battered to death at her Siparia home and the other, a mother of two who died at a friend’s Fyzabad home, days after being beaten by a male relative.

Dead are retired teacher Dayah Ramsook, 62, who was found with wounds to her head at her Siparia home yesterday and Goomattee Basdeo, 52, of San Francique Road, Fyzabad. Basdeo died at the home of a friend, where she sought refuge after being beaten by a male relative, who up to late yesterday was being questioned. Investigators believe robbery was the motive behind Ramsook’s murder, since her  white Nissan Almera sedan was missing. Police told Newsday an arrest in the Ramsook murder was imminent. In the Basdeo killing, police sources said the woman was beaten at her San Francique Road, Fyzabad home during an argument with a close male relative. After the beating, which reportedly occurred over the weekend, Basdeo sought refuge at the home of her friend Vishnu Singh, who lived at Masahood Junction, San Francique home. Ramsook’s body was discovered by police around 2 pm yesterday, after relatives reported to police that the woman had not been seen since Wednesday and her car was missing. When investigators went to the woman’s home at Alta Garcia Trace, Siparia, they discovered the woman’s body lying under a bundle of clothes in the washroom, located downstairs in the house.

Investigators said there were wounds to the woman’s head and they suspect she may have been struck in the head by her attacker/s. Nothing was missing from the house. Sources told Newsday that a man was seen leaving Ramsook’s home in her car on Wednesday, and had asked a villager to close the front gate of the house, for him. Ramsook’s relative, who lived nearby, told Newsday that the woman taught at Suchit Trace Hindu School and retired five years ago. The relative said she attended a Jehovah Witness Church in Penal and was not married and had no children. “We thought she went out. But like the killer wanted us to think she had done so,” the relative said. He added that he became worried when this morning he saw that Ramsook’s car was still missing and a door to her home was ajar. It was then the police were called in. In the other murder, Basdeo’s friend Vishnu Singh (at whose home, she sought refuge) told Newsday Basdeo came to his home on Tuesday and showed him several bruises and welts about her body, saying she had been beaten by her relative. “She made me wash her body with warm water and in washing her, I saw bruises on her belly, back, hips and other areas,” Singh said. He told Newsday Basdeo refused to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Singh added that around 11.30 am yesterday, when he went to check on Basdeo, who was last seen alive in a bedroom, she did not respond to any of his calls. On shaking Basdeo, Singh felt her body cold and alerted police. When Newsday visited Basdeo’s common-law husband, Sumanan Supersad, 52, he denied knowing about the beating Basdeo suffered at the hands of another relative. Supersad added that the last time he saw Basdeo (which was Saturday) she appeared “strong and healthy.” Supersad claimed Basdeo had a habit of staying at the home of “a male friend.” Supersad told Newsday when he went to Singh’s home to view Basdeo’s body, he was not allowed to do so. Autopsies are expected to be carried out today at the Forensic Science Centre, Federation Park, St James and investigations are continuing.