Cunupia man robbed and gunned down

Two bandits armed with guns stormed into the Mon Plasir Road, Cunupia home of fish exporter Ramkhelawan Charan, ordered his maid at gunpoint to lead them to the living room where her employer was checking money and robbed the businessman of a quantity of cash. As they were leaving, the bandits fired two shots, which caught Charan in the chest. They then fled, boarded a B-15 car and escaped.

Police investigators believe that the getaway car used by the killers is the same vehicle which was taken away at gunpoint from Member of Parliament for Tunapuna Eddie Hart on Tuesday. Later, the car was discovered abandoned at Warren Road, Bejucal, bearing a false number plate. Fingerprint experts were called in and the car was checked for prints. Charan, 59, who was dressed in a short khaki pants and multi-coloured jersey, slumped to the ground and died almost immediately on being shot. His murder is the 145th for the year so far. Newsday learned that Charan was in the habit of checking his money every morning. The cash would then be placed into bags and taken to a bank in Chaguanas to be deposited. Investigators feel that the persons who shot and killed Charan knew about this routine.

A party of officers led by Snr Supt Philip Carmona along with District Medical Officer Dr Vishnu Geelal went to the scene. The maid was interviewed by Homicide officers and a statement was secured. Relatives of the dead man told Newsday that Charan, who was also known as “Sagar,” had been involved in fish farming and export for more than 30 years. Charan was the father of three and was separated from his wife who lived in a house built for her next door to his home. They claimed that he exported exotic fishes to several parts of the world, and was a community-oriented person. He employed several persons who provided him with local fishes.

Villagers of Mon Plasir Road expressed shock over the shooting death and police investigators believe that the robbery and shooting death were premeditated. Residents of the area claimed that on Wednesday, they saw a car with three strange men passing close to Charan’s home, but they did not become too suspicious because the area is often frequented by strange persons. Police investigators told Newsday that the two bandits were not masked and a police sketch artist was called in. Police say arrests are imminent.