Mom burns to death

While one-year-old baby Leeshan lay sleeping around midnight at his Curepe home, his mother Savita Maharaj, 21, tried to burn herself to death following an argument with her husband, Ishwar, 29.

Reports are that Savita doused herself with kerosene and set herself on fire with a cigarette lighter. She is reported to have died from smoke inhalation. Ishwar was also burnt but not seriously. He was treated at hospital and discharged himself. Reports revealed that Savita and Ishwar, 29, returned to their apartment just after midnight on Thursday. The couple reportedly had an argument which lasted about half an hour. An eyewitness reported to the police, he saw Ishwar run out of the apartment with his clothes on fire. He shouted that his wife had doused herself with kerosene and was dead. Neighbours rushed into the bedroom to see the body of Savita lying on the floor of the bedroom.

Her baby son Leeshan, who is one year and three months old, was awake, staring at the lifeless body of his mother. The child was removed from the apartment and Ishwar was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was treated. He later discharged himself. When Newsday visited the Jackson Street, Curepe apartment where the incident took place, neighbours were silent. At Savita’s former  Caroni Savannah Road, Chaguanas home, her relatives claimed the couple were happy and, as far as they knew, they were not having any marital problems. They said that Ishwar worked at Neal and Massy as a sales representative.

The couple moved into the Curepe apartment in January and were married for over one year. They knew each other three years before they got married. Newsday learnt that Savita had attempted suicide several times before. Relatives of the dead woman refused to confim or deny this information, but police investigators told Newsday that based on the information received, the matter is being treated as suicide. They added that they are yet to interview Ishwar to get a full report on the incident. Sgt Johnny Abraham and Cpl Callister Charles of the St Joseph CID are investigating.