WICKEDNESS

This was how grieving relatives described the deaths of their loved own - two men who were both known alcoholics who were found yesterday tied together from their pants waist, their eyebrows shaved off and lipstick placed on their lips. An autopsy done yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James revealed that Khemraj Maharaj, 51, and Mukesh ‘Crucial’ Motilal, 46, died of acute poisoning.

Maharaj and Motilal, both of Tarouba Road, Tarouba were found dead outside their favourite village watering hole the Las Vegas Recreation Club located a short distance away from their respective homes. Both men were found in an embrace, lying on top of each other and kept in a fixed position with a piece of rope which their attackers passed through the loops of their pants to hold them in place from the pants waist. The length of rope used in the crime was cut from a United National Congress (UNC) local government election banner which hung loosely between two utility poles near the bar.

Their eyebrows were shaved, lipstick smeared all over their faces and one man’s hair pulled back in a pony tail style.

Maharaj, a father of three, was a handyman while Motilal, a former Caroni worker, plied his private car for hire.

He was single and had no children.“It is pure wickedness to do that to them,” said one of Maharaj’s relatives.

“They weren’t even friends although they knew each other growing up in the village. The only problem is that they were alcoholics and during the night persons chose to take advantage of them. They were drunk so if anyone gave them a drink they would not even know the difference in taste. We want to know why they put lipstick on his face and shave his eyebrows.” The autopsy showed both men were ingested deadly cocktails not too long after they had eaten a meal. Stomach samples were removed and sent for toxicology testing.

According to a police report, at about 6.30 am yesterday, Cpl Harrigin and PC Balkaran of the Marabella Police Station were on mobile patrol in the area when they observed the men lying on the ground outside the bar. Upon closer investigation, the officers observed that the bodies bore no visible marks of violence.

A team of officers led by Snr Supt Pesnell and including ASP Winchester, Insps Persad, Nanga, Figaro, Sgt Bisnath, PCs Moonilal, Gunness and others visited the scene. The bodies were ordered removed for autopsy. Yesterday, villagers gathered near the scene in shock saying that the men were well known in the village and never troubled anyone.

Looking on as the bodies were removed, a grieving Lena Mahadeo said she last saw her brother-in-law at about 6 pm on Thursday.

“I don’t know what to think of this,” she said.

“We were getting ready for work this morning when the news came home and we came up to see.” Also speaking with Newsday was Motilal’s brother, Vishnu, who said when he last spoke to Motilal at about 8 pm on Thursday, he was drinking at the bar.

“He was in a good frame of mind,” Vishnu said.

“I am really confused about this entire situation.

He always liming there not interfering with anyone and people like him. Is wicked people do this.” The families of the dead men are calling for justice saying that the position and condition they were found in were not of their own doing.

“It is murder, they did not kill themselves.” CSI officers climbed the utility pole and removed the remaining piece of the rope from the banner bearing the face and name of Local Government Election candidate Clint Beroog (Cocoyea/ Tarouba) as part of their evidence. Investigators are hoping that surveillance cameras in the area could assist with their enquiries.

Outside the Science Centre, a grief stricken Reanna Maharaj cried, “Although I don’t really have faith in the police service, I want justice to prevail for my father some way, some how.

I want to know why someone will want to kill him? He was not violent, but a very friendly person. The only thing my father is guilty of is drinking alcohol. He was a very good father and did his best for his three children.”