2 charged with killing Penal grandfather

TWO men were yesterday charged for the killing of Penal grandfather Sylvan Lochan. The men, aged 19, and 22 years old, live off Mohess Road in Penal, where Lochan resided. They were charged following instructions received by police from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The men were expected to be taken before a Justice of the Peace yesterday afternoon and are to appear before a Princes Town magistrate on Monday. Lochan, 58, died of cranial injuries due to blunt force trauma. Residents at Mohess Road said the suspects went on a drunken spree through the village, as they smashed cars and pelted bottles at patrons at a local bar. 

Lochan was found dead in his home a few hours after he contacted police to report a break-in at his home. His house was robbed of electrical appliances as he lay bleeding on the ground. Police yesterday recovered some of the items —  a stereo, video, and speakers — which investigators said were given to a man in Penal in exchange for drugs. Reports surfaced that policemen of the Penal Police Station failed to respond to Lochan’s call because his house does not fall in their jurisdiction, and Barrackpore police arrived on the scene hours after Lochan had died. Senior policemen have since been assigned to investigate the matter.