Man found hanging in Penal Police Station

Relatives of a mason who was found hanging from his pants in a cell at the Penal Police Station yesterday morning are calling for a full scale investigation into his death. Crisendath Roopnarine, 47, reportedly hanged himself half an hour after he was arrested for breaking a restraining order taken out by his common-law-wife, Radica Gangaram.

Police sources said PCs Mohammed and Roopnarine yesterday responded to a call from Gangaram who said her estranged husband was cursing and threatening her in front of her house at Charlo Village, Penal. The officers subsequently arrested the man in a bar at Quinam Road, Penal and took him to the station where he was placed in a cell. Around 7.30 am PCs Mohammed and Ramlogan went to check on him and found him slumped on the ground with one end of his jeans wrapped around his neck and the other attached to a cell bar. Police said within the past two weeks, Roopnarine had broken the restraining order three times and on a previous occasion he had been charged and was placed on a bond to re-appear in Siparia Magistrates’ Court, on Monday.

At his Lowkie Trace home yesterday both his brother, Lincoln and son, Rajesh called for an investigation into his death. Admitting that his brother had threatened violence against his wife and himself before the court case, he insisted: “It hard to hang yourself with your pants. I believe the pants will slide down the bar.” Asked why they thought the police would want to hurt Roopnarine, Lincoln said: “He was blaming her (Gangaram) with a policeman so I don’t know if he tell the officers anything.” Lincoln said he was told of his brother’s death around 8 am by a friend who worked in the Penal market, which is opposite the Police Station.

On arrival at the station, Lincoln said he asked the officers to see his brother’s body and was told that he would have to wait a while. “They put me to sit down in a room. While I was there the undertakers took the body and I did not get to see him. Why they did not allow me to see the body?” he questioned. Rajesh said three years ago his parents reconciled their relationship after being separated for a few months. He said four months ago they separated again and his mother took out a restraining order against his father. Insp Frazer is spearheading investigations.