Stabbed to death defending friend

A 27-YEAR-old fabricator was fatally stabbed on Saturday night when he protested against a gang of youths beating up his friend. Lalmohan Mansingh, of Robinson Trace, San Francique, died on the front seat of the car belonging to his friend, Ricky Sukhu whom he was trying to defend. Staring in disbelief, Sukhu said yesterday: “I feel that stab was for me, but he get it instead.” Police have since held four suspects, aged 15, 18, 19 and 21, all of whom live in the Penal district, for questioning. Mansingh’s sister, Tharoutie, said it was the second of her siblings to be murdered. In 1995, sister, Indroutee, and her four children were chopped to death by Indroutee’s husband Hardeo Ramroop. Ramroop was later found in a mangrove where he committed suicide.

Mansingh’s father, wheel-chair ridden due to chronic diabetes, commented sadly: “I don’t know what happen to my family.” The elderly man said his son, Lalmohan, also known as “Ramtoole,” left home around 7 pm when Sukhu picked him up to go liming. Sukhu told Newsday that together with another friend whom he knew as “Jamoon,” they went bar-hopping along the Penal/ Quinam Road. The first stop was at Baywatch Bar, and after liming for 20 minutes, the friends were leaving for another bar. Sukhu said while driving out of the premises, he shouted out to four youths blocking the roadway, which led to a heated exchange in the middle of the road. The altercation escalated when the youths attacked the vehicle, beating and kicking the car. Sukhu said: “I dragged off, thinking everything done there, and drove to another bar lower down the road.”

But unknown to Sukhu, the youths pursued the car and pounced on him before he could alight from the driver’s seat. He said the gang began beating him on his head and shoulders, when Sukhu said he heard Mansingh shouting in protest. “I heard Raj say ‘Why they hitting the boy so,’ then I saw a man run over to him and was beating him up. I did not even know he got stabbed,” Sukhu said. Patrons from the bar came out to assist and the youths ran down the road. Sukhu looked at Mansingh to see his friend gasping for breath holding his stomach. Sukhu recalled: “He breathe hard about three out four times, then that was it.”  Still reeling in shock, he added: “That was just too easy.” Minutes later mobile police patrolling the area responded to the scene and the four men were subsequently detained. Penal Police are continuing investigations.