Coldingen Railway murder
Investigators have arrested the fourth suspect in the murder of 64-year-old Roger Manikam, whose body was dumped on the Coldingen, East Coast Demerara (ECD) Railway Embankment.
Manikam, of Section B, Nonpareil, ECD, was found around 06:30h in Coldingen on Sunday with wounds to the head and upper neck by residents in the area. He was bound and his head covered by a plastic bag.
The man’s 16-year-old biological daughter and 10-year-old stepdaughter have since admitted to killing him, claiming that he was a “nuisance” to them. The teenager’s boyfriend, a court clerk attached to a West Demerara Magistrate’s Court, was also arrested and confessed to being an accessory to murder. He had been previously arrested for questioning in relation to the murder of Regent Multiplex Mall owner Ganesh Ramlall, but was released shortly after.
The Police had been hunting a fourth suspect whom, Guyana Times was told, was arrested on Tuesday. This suspect is believed to have helped the others transport the man’s body.
This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who also related to this newspaper that the Police have impounded the vehicle in question. He noted that the two males confessed to disposing of the body.
Additionally, the head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) said that suspects were taken to the scene, where they pointed out the spot they dumped Manikam’s body. They also took investigators a short distance away where they dumped incriminating materials such as bloody sheets and clothing.
Detectives became suspicious of the daughters after they realised that the rope serving as the clothes line in the yard of the home was identical to the one used to secure the plastic found around the man’s head.
The Police took the two young ladies into custody and during interrogation, they broke down and gave a detailed account of the murder.
The detectives came in for high praise for solving the murder. They are expected to seek legal advice today on instituting charges against the quartet.
