POLICE are investigating whether it was mere coincidence that the body of 28-year-old murder victim DebbieAnn Ramdath, was dumped on the roadside on Monday near the entrance to Corinth Teachers Training College, San Fernando — the same school she attended and where she was supposed to have written final exams, the day her body was found.

Police discovered the body after receiving an anonymous telephone call. Investigators are not sure whether she had been strangled, although a blue bandana was found tied around her neck. An autopsy is expected to be done on the body today at the Forensic Sciences Centre. Police were up to late yesterday questioning a 25-year-old man in connection with the incident. Investigators have not yet determined the motive for the killing. Ramdath’s body was identified around 10 am yesterday by her husband Ryan Sagar, a Fire-fighter, attached to the Chagaunas fire Station, after he saw his wife’s body in the newspaper.    Sagar told police his wife left home in her blue B13 Sentra car around 9 pm to go to shop and then to her mother’s home at Morne Diablo, where she planned to use her computer to review a project for her final exams, the following day.  But she never returned home. Sagar said he was going to lodge a missing persons report yesterday but saw the picture in the papers.

The murdered woman’s car was found at Gulf City carpark around 3 pm yesterday totally intact. Police are now checking for fingerprints. Ramdath had been married to her husband for the past ten months and lived with her in-laws at Papourie Road, Diamond Village, off San Fernando. When Newsday visited her family’s home at Morne Diablo yesterday, her mother, Lynette Ramdath, 52, said she found it strange that her daughter did not call to let her know that she was coming. “She always call before she come by me…she never comes in the night. I did not know that she was coming,” Lynette said. She added that she found out her daughter was missing around 9 am on Monday, when her daughter’s husband called to find out whether she had left to go sit the exams.

The grieving woman told Newsday she told him, she never saw her daughter that night. However, Ramdath added that she was not worried because she always believed that her daughter could take care of herself. She only found out that she had been murdered when she saw her picture in the newspaper yesterday morning. She said her daughter and husband were just getting over the loss of their baby girl, who died last December, a mere 10 days after the child was born. Describing her daughter as a brave and strong-minded person, she said DebbieAnn was doing her final exams at the training college to get her teaching diploma. She would have graduated in September.

Ramdath said her daughter was also enrolling to study psychology at the University of the West Indies after her exams, since she had “loved” that field.  With tears in her eyes, the woman said she could not imagine who would want to kill her daughter. She said the last time she saw her daughter was on Saturday when she (Debbie Ann) and her husband came to visit her but stayed briefly. Vice Principal of the College, Martin Jones, told Newsday yesterday that he believed that DebbieAnn’s body was deliberately dumped in front of the school compound. “We are now making preparations to honour her in a way that befits her and to respond to the affront in the way her life was snuffed out and putting her body in front of the college,” he said. The principal said they intend to hold a solemn service in her honour today at the school. Jones said her peers were upset over her death since she was part of their family. Investigations are continuing.

POLICE have obtained new information relative to the June 8 Movie Towne shooting, and sources said investigators may have to go to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ,Geoffrey Henderson, with it.

A source told Newsday yesterday that the new information was obtained last Friday, the day after one of the victims, expelled Jamaat-al-Muslimeem member, Lincoln Alexis, aka Salim Rashid, was removed from the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) to the Mount Hope Medical Sciences Centre. With his transfer, Rashid joined another expelled Muslimeen member, Clive “Wolfie” Lewis, aka Adil Ghani, who was also shot in the Movie Towne incident that left his common-lawwife, Jillia Bowen, dead. While the source was reluctant to give out the new information, it was revealed that the discussion with the DPP has to do with “what evidence we are going to come with.”

Up to late yesterday, however, sources at the DPP’s office said the meeting with DPP Henderson had not taken place. Rashid, Ghani and Bowen were all sitting on a bench on the night of June 8 on the Movie Towne compound when a white B13 Nissan Sentra vehicle pulled alongside and its occupants fired several shots. Bowen died on spot, while Ghani and Rashid received several shots to the lower portion of their body.  Newsday was able to reach one of Rashid’s wives yesterday. The woman, who refused to give her name, said Rashid was resting comfortably and was out of danger.  No arrests had been made up to late evening and Sgt Nandram Moonilal of the St James Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is continuing investigations.

THE Anti Crime Unit (ACU), comprising police and army officials early yesterday morning arrested five men and seized two Smith and Wesson .38 special revolvers and six rounds of .38 ammunition.

Seizure of the two revolvers brings to three, the number of guns seized in less than 48 hours by the joint police/army contingent.  A .380 Lorcin pistol was found Sunday night when members of the Anti Crime Unit challeneged a man at Picton, Laventille.  The man ran and left the pistol behind, along with five rounds of .380 ammunition. In yesterday’s seizure, police said around 4.30 am PCs Brown and Beckles along with Army Privates Alfred, Griffith and Narrett, were on mobile patrol duty in the Second Caledonia, Morvant, area. The joint police/army contingent had cause to stop a black B13 Nissan Sentra vehicle proceeding in a southerly direction along the same road. Police said the team stopped and searched the vehicle, in which the two Smith and Wesson revolvers were found.  The five men, said by the police to be “very young” were promptly arrested and taken into police custody.

Police sources told Newsday the men will be placed on a number of identification parades relative to murders in the Laventille and Morvant area as well as other serious reported crimes in the country.  The men may make a court appearance today. Supervisor of the Anti Crime Unit, Sr Supt Gilbert Reyes was high in praise for the group of officers, but stated that there was still “too much” guns on the streets, and appealed for the public’s help in identifying the gun carriers. The Anti Crime Unit is based in one of the old Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) buildings, and is in close proximity to the Vehicle Maintenance Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago, Beetham Highway. The Unit was formed last March to assist in the fight against crime.  Since then, the members have been to areas in Chatham and Point Fortin, and have spent as much as 12 days away from home, sources said. 

Since the death of Muslimeen member, Mark Guerra, however, sources said the unit has changed its focus to the Laventille area. The unit has approximately 70 members, comprising police and army officials.  The police officers have been taken from the Crime Suppression Unit (CSU), Task Forces, Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) and CIDs across the country.

POLICE files on a shooting incident involving “rich people” at Staubles Bay on February 5 as well as the file on an alleged assault on handicapped people on the night of May 26 have gone to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson for directions.

Sources at the DPP’s office confirmed yesterday that DPP Henderson received both files, but said that he has not yet looked at the “rich people” file, but that the file on the alleged assault on handicapped people “is being looked at.” Both files were received late Monday by the DPP, sources said. The February 5 incident occurred when about 15 wealthy businessmen, in two boats, allegedly fired off their licensed firearms near Coast Guard Headquarters, Staubles Bay, causing the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force to be placed on alert for about eight hours. The two boats were subsequently intercepted and the wealthy men detained. However, they were released after giving statements to officers of the Carenage Police Station in the presence of their attorneys. Four licensed semi-automatic pistols were seized. 

In the alleged assault of the handicapped people, George Daniel, chairman of Disabled People International/TT claimed he was thrown to the ground outside the National Flour Mills Plant, Wrightson Road. Daniel alleged that a police vehicle pulled up and a corporal stepped out and told the group of disabled people that they were bringing down the government, making business bad for NFM and that they and their tent would be removed. He said he then saw a silver Suzuki jeep out of which came personnel from a security service who were directed to move the protesters and their tent. Daniel said he held on to the tent in protest and claimed that one of the security men lifted his chair and moved him.  He said he was still holding on to the pole when the man in charge of the security firm pulled his hand from the pole and he fell to the ground, injuring his hand and foot. The disabled man also claimed that two constables who were with the corporal stood by and did nothing, while the others from the jeep lifted the tent and moved it away from the entrance of the NFM.

CRIMINAL elements in the country have apparently been observing the patrol patterns of the “Second Strike” squad, and also use cell phones and lookouts to warn of the movements of the joint police/army contingent.

This was stated in a two-page release yesterday from the Task Force Public Affairs Office on the Inter-agency Task Force Operation, “Second Strike”. The release blamed these reasons for the hike in the murder rate within the last two weeks, and also said that the continued murders appear to be revenge killings. Questioned yesterday, a senior official within the two protective services told Newsday that since “Second Strike” started on May 8, patrols have reported seeing people using cellphones on the blocks. The official also said that the joint police/army patrols have heard people calling out to others, informing them that patrols are coming. Asked if there were possible leaks from the two divisions, the official said there was no evidence to support this, but was mindful of the fact that there were reports of leaks during Operation Anaconda. “Yes, we were aware of reports of leaks in Operation Anaconda, but we have no evidence to suggest there are leaks in ‘Second Strike’,” the senior official told Newsday. However, another source said they believe there are internal leaks made out of fear or economic reasons. 

That source told Newsday that this is where TSTT will have to play a role, but stated that it will be a handicap in terms of people’s privacy.  “These are the kinds of things we are up against,” the source said. The statement also said the aim of “Second Strike” was two-fold: to deter criminal activity, by identifying and detaining criminal elements in the area of operation; to retore law and order; and to render community assistance through civil affairs programmes, which seek to strenghten the capacity of these communities to treat with the situation. “Second Strike” will operate in four phases, but is still in phase one which involves aggressive patrolling, snap road blocks, and searches. The statement also said that for this week, 22 people suspected of committing serious crimes including murder were arrested and are in police custody, and that six hand guns have also been seized. It was also pointed out in the release that witnesses are afraid to come forward to identify suspects because they fear for their lives.

THREE Independent Senators broke ranks with their colleagues and voted with the Government to ensure that persons found guilty of kidnapping are sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in jail. As the Kidnapping Bill 2003 moved to committee stage in the Senate yesterday, the Government pushed for Clause Four of the Bill to be amended to read that the penalty for the commission of kidnapping be increased from 15 years imprisonment as currently obtains in common law to a minimum of 25 years imprisonment.

In pushing for this amendment, Attorney General Glenda Morean-Phillip reminded Senators that Parliament had to send a stern warning to kidnappers and would-be kidnappers that their actions would not be tolerating and the seriousness of the crime in Trinidad and Tobago today. The AG said the legislation must act as a deterrent and be as “stiff as possible”. Opposition Senator Arnim Smith said while he had no problem with a stiff jail sentence, he believed that sending a young person to prison for 25 years would only transform that person into a hardened criminal.  The UNC also accused Government of engaging in political rhetoric to get the amendment passed. Independent Senator Professor Ken Ramchand asked whether the mere passage of the Bill would send the message the Government wanted.

When the question of the amendment was put to a vote, the end result was 18-12 in favour of the Government. As expected, the UNC opposed the amendment but only got the support of six of the nine Independents. Those voting with the Government were Professor Ramesh Deosaran, Dr David Quamina and Bashrath Ali. The Senate also approved unopposed an amendment to the Bill that would deem persons under 16 years incapable of consenting to being abducted, seized, detained, held etc.The committee’s deliberations dragged on at snail’s pace with frequent questions from the Opposition to the AG. During the discussions, Deosaran wondered if by giving accomplices an avenue whereby they could turn State’s witness, it could encourage persons with information about kidnappings to come forward and serve as a “powerful deterrent” to individuals considering a career in kidnapping. Later yesterday at 7.30pm, the third reading of the bill took place, with Opposition voting against the legislation. The bill was passed with some amendments such as the one which makes police who are negligent in investigating reported kidnappings liable to two years imprisonment and $100,000 fine.

“FORWARD HOME” was the theme of the annual Cacique Awards ceremony which came off in style at the Central Bank Auditorium on Monday night. The ceremony honoured the late Andre Tanker by using his music throughout the production.

In addition, Tanker won in two categories — Most Outstanding Original Music (The Dragon Can’t Dance) and Most Outstanding Musical Director (The Dragon Can’t Dance). Tanker’s wife Christine and daughter Zo-Marie were on hand to collect the posthumous awards. However, the night belonged to actress Cecilia Salazar and the cast of Twilight Cafe, a production which won five cacique awards. Salazar won the Most Outstanding Actress and shared the Most Outstanding Supporting Actress title with Debra Boucard Mason.

Twilight Cafe took awards for Most Outstanding Set Design (Christopher Cozier and Sean Leonard), Most Outstanding Lighting Design (Ken Joseph) and Most Outstanding Sound Design (Wendell Manwarren). Also making a good showing was the production Orphans by Raymond Choo Kong and Richard Ragoobarsingh, which copped five awards — Most Outstanding Actor (Arnold Goindhan), Most Outstanding Supporting Actor (Richard Ragoobarsingh) Most Outstanding Dramatic Production and Most Outstanding Production.

FORMER GOVERNMENT Minister Russell Huggins was a shareholder with no shares in Calmaquip Caribbean Limited in 2000. This was revealed yesterday by Deputy Registrar Francis Sandy when he continued evidence before the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport Development Project.

Calmaquip, a US-based company, was awarded the contract to provide speciality equipment for the airport. Government guaranteed two loans totalling US$30 million for the Airports Authority to finance the contract. In response to questions from attorney for the commission, Theodore Guerra SC, on the returns for Calmaquip from 1997 to present, Sandy said the company did not file records for 1997 to 1999 and its returns for 2002 and this year are overdue. Sandy said returns are to be filed on April 3 each year under the Companies Act. He said directors in the company for 2000 and 2001 were Raul Guttierez and Rafael Portela. In 2000 the shareholders were listed as Russell Huggins and Wendy Fay Thompson, who each had “nil shares,” and Guttierez and Portela who each had one share.

In 2001 the shareholders were Guttierez and Portela with one share each. Sandy said if a company does not comply with submitting returns, a letter would be sent from the Registrar General’s Department enquiring if the company was still in business and if so, that it was in arrears of filing. Sandy said all documents filed with the department are public documents and members of the public with proper identification can obtain copies of the documents at a cost. Sandy also said he had not yet located the returns for Maritime Securities Ltd. He said the returns for 1998 for Fidelity Finance and Leasing Company listed several directors in the company with its shareholders as Steve Ferguson with one share and Maritime Life Caribbean Ltd with 6.1 million shares. In 1999 the company had the same directors with one new addition. Its shareholders remained the same with Ferguson continuing to hold one share and Maritime Caribbean Life with 9.9 million shares. The inquiry will resume on Monday at 9.30 am since there are no witnesses scheduled for today.