Bhalraj Chalth of Warren Village, East Coast Berbice, who had gone missing for more than a week, was found dead in a rice field at Warren village in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) on Thursday shortly after 13:00h.
When a search party retrieved his body from the field, the body was found to bear no physical marks of violence, although it was believed to have been partly eaten by fishes.
Dead: Bhalraj Chalth
On July 2, a missing person’s report was filed for the 42-year-old man, who had lived alone. This publication understands that Chalth was last seen alive on June 29. According to neighbours, Chalth was an epileptic who periodically suffered from seizures and had a vision problem.
He had claimed to have ended a relationship with a Corentyne woman after the couple ended up in court last month.
Deported from the USA in 1992, Chalth used to be maintained by close relatives who all live overseas. According to reports, a villager was paid to do his cooking and take care of him.
Police are working on a theory that Chalth might have had a seizure and fallen into a canal near his house. Relatives are, however, eagerly awaiting the findings of an autopsy, but have already started pointing accusing fingers at a female whom Chalth had known. (Andrew Carmichael)
