Woman left to die in burning bedroom

IN WHAT is the country’s third murder for the New Year, a 60-year-old woman was robbed at her La Romaine home and then left to die inside her bedroom which was set alight by her attackers. Police probing the death of Kathee Bhajan of Stellar Street, La Romaine believe the elderly woman was left with no escape route as she was forced into her bedroom which was then set alight. Villagers who responded after seeing Bhajan’s house on fire, extinguished the flames in her bedroom and discovered her partially burnt body on a bed. Police believe robbery was the motive because a mini-mart which Bhajan operated and which was located next to the bedroom where she slept, was broken into and cash was found to be missing.

Bhajan was alone in the house at the time since her husband Dibedeen Bhajan, 58, is currently visiting relatives in Canada. She has one daughter — Indrani, 43, who lives at Rochard Douglas Road, Barrackpore. According to a police report, Bhajan closed her business place around 8.30 pm on Sunday and retired to bed. Police believe she was fast asleep at the time persons unknown broke into her home and attacked her. Bhajan’s neighbour Billy Martin, who is a fireman attached to the Mon Repos Fire Station, told Newsday that around 11 pm he heard the honking of a car horn coming from the direction of Bhajan’s house. Martin said he later joined villagers in a bucket brigade to put out a blaze which had engulfed Bhajan’s bedroom. “It was while I was hosing down the room that I caught a glimpse of the body,” Martin told Newsday.

Martin said he kicked in a glass window in an attempt to get to Bhajan and sustained a cut on his foot for which he  received treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital. A tearful Indrani said she last spoke to her mother around 3.30 pm on Sunday. The two had planned to spend the day together yesterday. “Some money missing from the parlour. They must have taken the money and killed her,” Indrani sobbed. Up to late yesterday fire officers were still trying to ascertain the exact cause of the blaze.  A district medical officer viewed Bhajan’s body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, where an autopsy carried out yesterday confirmed that the woman died from asphyxia consistent with smoke inhalation. Visiting the scene were officers from San Fernando CID and Homicide Bureau led by Snr Supt Nazir Khan. No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.