After 7 years on the run: Herstelling murder suspect arrested

A murder suspect, Rishiram Persaud, 35, a labourer from Farm/Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was arrested on Thursday evening by police in the area after being wanted for more than seven years in connection with the death of Balwan Ramsarran.
Ramsarran, a 41-year-old man, succumbed to injuries in April 2017 after he was severely beaten with a piece of wood during a rum shop altercation. The incident took place at approximately 17:30h on April 16, 2017, in the Herstelling Squatting Area.
Persaud was nabbed at about 19:10h on Thursday after police ranks acting on information received visited the area. Upon his arrest, he was informed of the offence and cautioned. Persaud admitted to assaulting Ramsarran, leading to his arrest and subsequent detention.
The police have confirmed that efforts are now underway to locate the relevant file for further legal proceedings.

On the day of the incident, Ramsarran was at a rum shop when he was confronted by a group of young men who regularly taunted him while he was intoxicated. Although Ramsarran resisted their attempts to bully him, an argument ensued. One of the men from the group left, only to return later with a piece of wood.
In the following moments, Ramsarran was struck multiple times with the wood by the assailant. He was left bleeding on the road. According to reports, Ramsarran’s teenage daughter rushed to the scene and transported her father to the Diamond Hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC). Ramsarran, however, never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead shortly after being admitted.
His sister, Parbattie Ramsarran, recalled the shocking sight of her brother’s condition, with injuries to his head, temple, stomach, and neck, as well as profuse bleeding from his nose and mouth.
The family, deeply distressed, called for justice as they were aware that the assailant had a history of troublemaking in the area. Despite the manhunt, it took over seven years for Persaud to be apprehended.