Investigation into Corentyne hotel murders stalled
Police in Berbice have hit a roadblock as it relates to the investigation into the Number 63 Village hotel murders during which Canadian hotelier Vivekanand Brijbassi and his watchman, Harry Persaud were brutally killed.
A source told Stabroek News yesterday that the police are yet to make an arrest in the investigation and have not yet ascertained the motive behind the murders. The source noted too that based on the location of the crime scene, investigators have so far also failed to locate any eyewitnesses. The source said that persons in the area are unfamiliar with the men’s daily routine. The hotel is located in a bushy area close to the beach and away from the houses in the community.
The source stressed that based on the scene, investigators are working on several theories but they have no major leads thus far.
Efforts to contact Police Regional Commander Calvin Brutus for the past two days for an official update on the matter proved futile.
The decomposing bodies of Brijbassi, also known as ‘Vaker’, 71, the owner of Sunsplash Holiday Beach Resort located in Number 63 Village, Corentyne, and Persaud, 59, of Number 68 Village, Corentyne, were found bound and gagged in the balcony area in the upper flat of the two storey concrete building on Friday.
The police have said that Brijbassi was discovered with two toes from his left foot severed while Persaud was found with both hands tied behind his back onto a post and his left foot completely severed from the ankle.
It is suspected that the men were killed sometime between December 19 and December 27, when the discovery was made.
Stabroek News on
Saturday and Sunday phoned Commander Brutus several times for an official update on the matter but his phones were either turned off or rang out.
It is suspected that the perpetrators may have been looking for something in the building since not only did they torture the duo but also ransacked the entire building.
Persons in the area had told Stabroek News that there have been several break-ins at the hotel which were reported by Brijbassi but the police are yet to confirm this information.
Brijbassi reportedly arrived in Guyana on September 20th and was last seen by his sister Krishna Boodram on December 19th when he visited her home and had dinner with her. She had related that her brother had been afraid of staying at the hotel but it seemed that he had made up his mind to stay there.
After she questioned him about whether or not he was scared to reside at the building, he told her that he had two friends staying with him. The police are yet to locate the third person.
The discovery of the men’s bodies was made on Friday after Brijbassi failed to respond to his daughter’s phone calls which resulted in her contacting someone to visit the location to check on him. After the person visited the area and noticed the stench emanating from the building, he then contacted lawmen who made the discovery.