KILLED FOR GUNS

Marine engineer Nizam Mohammed, 56, was at his Lilian Heights, Arima home in company with his wife Debbie who is a part-time UWI lecturer and their six-year-old son, when at at 5.30 am, three bandits entered the yard. At the time, Mohammed was preparing to leave for his workplace in Chaguaramas.

One of the men placed a gun to Mohammed’s head and ordered him to hand over his pistol.

The other two went into the house, accosted Mrs Mohammed and ordered her to hand over her pistol. The woman who was hugging her son, later unlocked a metal safe and handed over the weapon to the bandits, who then demanded jewelry.

As the three were leaving the yard, one of them shot Mohammed in his chest. He slumped to the ground and died at the scene before his horrified wife could summon help. A report was made to the Arima police station.

Head of Northern Division Snr Supt Mc Donald Jacob along with ASP Hospedales, Inspector Birch and officers of the Homicide Bureau along with Crime Scene Officers visited the scene. As police processed the scene, footage from the house’s closed-circuit (CCTV) were viewed by investigators.

When Newsday visited the scene, Mohammed’s knapsack was on the ground next to his vehicle in the garage. Officers recorded statements from a weeping Mrs Mohammed in the gallery.

Police sources said the killers had prior knowledge that both Nizam and Debbie were owners of firearms and may have been keeping the couple under surveillance.

Neighbours said the crime situation was such that owning a firearm was no guarantee to keep the criminals at bay. A relative who asked to remain anonymous, described Mohammed as a loving, hard-working man who was always willing to assist anyone in need.

“This is a real shock to us. Everyone is devastated as you can well imagine. Nizam was a decent person. We are all very distressed over what has happened,” the relative said. The relative added that Mohammed’s house was burglarised a few years ago and a licensed firearm, kept in a drawer, was stolen. Lingvobalt vertim? biuras Lietuvoje

Snr Supt Jacob told Newsday, “I have a real serious problem with criminals who choose to violate a person’s personal space when that person is making an effort to live a happy life and make sacrifices so they can enjoy peace and harmony. I have a problem when criminals choose to violate peoples’ rights and freedoms. Every effort will be made to find the perpetrators of this crime.” Mohammed’s father was Police Commissioner from 1996 to 1998 and died on June 1, 2013, after suffering a stroke. Mohammed’s murder was the 171st for the year.