Twenty-three-year-old Shivram Mohabir, called “Vickash”, a mechanic of Agriculture Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), met a tragic end on Monday evening when he was stabbed to death by his girlfriend’s uncle amidst grievances and an escalating family dispute.
The incident took place at Fifth Street Martyrsville, Mon Repos, ECD, where Mohabir was visiting his girlfriend, who resided there.
According to reports received, Mohabir was stabbed multiple times at about 18:30h and later succumbed to his injuries around 22:30h while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
The suspect allegedly inflicted the fatal wounds on Mohabir while he was inside his girlfriend’s room. After the attack, the suspect fled the scene but was later apprehended by the Police.
In an emotional interview with Guyana Times on Tuesday, Raveena Persaud, the girlfriend of the deceased, said that there were a number of underlying tensions that fuelled the tragic event.
“We have been in a relationship for the past two years, and Vickash would often stay at my grandmother’s house,” Raveena explained. “This, however, caused anger and resentment from my uncle and his family due to an ongoing property dispute involving my grandmother, who is the suspect’s mother.”
“I grew up with my grandmother and have been living with her for the past 13 years. Whenever my uncle and his children would see Vickash at the house, it would provoke them. Especially when my uncle had been drinking, he would confront my grandmother, asking what is he doing here and that we are not married. However, my grandmother never had any issues with Vickash staying with us.”
Prior to the tragic incident, Persaud said she and Vickash had been falsely accused of interfering with her uncle and his family. Persaud refuted these claims, saying, “As we passed by my uncle’s house, we overheard a woman hurling curses at us. We didn’t stop, we pass and he drop me home and he left and went back home to work. When I arrive home, my grandmother asked me why we picking trouble. She said my uncle wife called and say when we passing Vickash show she middle finger and that she is coming to beat him.”
This incident occurred on May 20.
Concerned for her boyfriend’s safety, Persaud said she immediately called him to relay the incident and caution him to be cautious when passing her uncle’s house.
She said by the time she called him he was already confronted by her uncle’s wife and son. According to Persaud, her uncle’s wife slapped Mohabir while her cousin (uncle’s son) allegedly handed his mother a cutlass. She said Mohabir picked up a piece of wood and attempted to knock the cutlass out of the woman’s hand and in the process, he hit her.
She said her aunt made a report at the Beterverwagting (BV) Police Station. This, she said, led to the arrest of her boyfriend but he was released from custody after her aunt failed to appear at the Police station. However, tensions remained high. Persaud recalled that on Monday, her boyfriend was on his way to her home when her uncle’s son rode his bike in front of his vehicle. To maintain peace, she said Mohabir ignored her cousin but nonetheless went to the BV Police Station to file a report after which he picked her up before returning to work.
“He returned to my place later that night. While I was in the kitchen, my nephew alerted me that my uncle was approaching. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, assuming he was visiting his mother as usual,” she recalled
“He storm into my room and tell Vickash get out of here, what are you doing here and then I heard a scramble. When I go into the room, I saw him on top of Vickash and Vickash was bleeding very badly… Vickash told me to hold my uncle’s hand and take away the knife but I couldn’t do it so I started to scream. My grandmother assisted me to take the knife away from him,” she said,
“To prevent my uncle from following us, I bolted the door and locked him inside. I rushed Shivram to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. The doctors informed us that his chances of survival were 50/50. Sadly, they later broke the devastating news that he didn’t make it.”
Upon being alerted, the Police promptly went to the scene. Persaud revealed that her uncle had attempted to evade capture by removing the louvres from the windows and hiding in the backyard. However, he was found and taken into custody.
Wonderful person
Reflecting on her loss, Raveena spoke fondly of Shivram, emphasising his character and the unjust nature of his death.
“Vickash was a wonderful person who always put me first. Anything I want he would, he get it for me. I just bought a car, who is gonna drive it now, what am I going to do with it? He didn’t deserve such a cruel fate,” she lamented. “I hope that my uncle faces the full brunt of the law for his actions.”
The woman said the loss of her boyfriend has added to her already saddened state since she recently lost her father and now her boyfriend of two years.
Meanwhile, the Police recovered the murder weapon from Persaud’s home and have launched an investigation into the incident. (G9)
