Body found on Waterloo river bank

Police detectives were up to yesterday unable to determine if Lezama Lall had been murdered.

Lall, of Las Lomas Number 1, Chin Chin Road, Cunupia, was a labourer employed with the Food Crop Section in the Ministry of Agriculture at Todds Road, Central Trinidad. He was the father of two — Dinesh, 27 and Sharon, 26.

According to a police report, fisherman Vijay Balroop, 19, of Brickfield Village, Waterloo Road, Carapichaima, was on his boat in the Massala River, Waterloo, at 6.30 am yesterday, when he spotted the body of a man lying along the river bank.

The river flows into the Gulf of Paria and is situated about a half mile away from Brickfield Village.

Balroop told police that he was with other fishermen — Sudesh Ramsundar, Winston Ellis, 17 and Ellis’ brother, Shawn, 15, when he saw the body.

The report stated that the fishermen saw that a knife was stuck in the throat of the dead man.

The body was later identified by Joseph Lall, who is the dead man’s nephew. Joseph told police that his uncle, Lall, visited him at his Brickfield Village home in Waterloo on Tuesday afternoon.

Joseph told Newsday yesterday that Lall came to visit him at about 3 pm on Tuesday. After spending time together, Joseph said, Lall told him that he was going out to check on his car which was parked on the road (outside Joseph’s house).

"He never returned and I began looking for him.

"I called the police and informed them that my uncle was missing," Joseph said.

Joseph said that he and villagers went looking for Lall until 10.30 pm Tuesday.

Joseph said, "It was after 6 am that one of the guys who was going out to fish saw him dead on the river bank with a knife in his throat."

Lall’s daughter, Sharon, who was also at the scene while Lall’s body was being removed, said, "Maybe, he took his own life because he was very sad. Maybe, someone killed him — for what reason, I don’t know."

A party of police officers, including detective Bobby Noyan, Sgt Rodriguez, Cpl Remy, and PC Balkissoon of the Freeport Police Station and Homicide Division (Central) visited the scene.

District Medical Officer, Dr Indarjit Birjah, viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre in Port-of-Spain where an autopsy is to be performed today.

Cpl Remy of the Freeport Police Station is investigating.