Two charged over Canal wedding house murder
Two men were yesterday charged over the murder at a Canal Number Two wedding house on Old Year’s Day.
Otto Pitman called ‘One Dan’ and Oliver Franklyn were charged with the murder of Natram Persaud at Canal #2 Polder, West Bank Demerara, on 31st December 2023.
The police said in a release that Pitman, a 35-year-old of Lot 50 School Street, Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara, was arrested on 2024-01-03 and appeared yesterday before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court, where the charge was read to him. He was not required to plead and was remanded to prison until 2024-02-07.
Franklyn, a 49-year-old taxi driver of Lot 276 Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, was arrested on 2024-01-01 and charged yesterday. He also appeared before Magistrate McGusty at the Vreeden-Hoop Magistrate’s Court where the charge was read to him. He was not required to plead and was remanded to prison until 2024-02-07.
The matter was transferred to Wales Magistrate’s Court.
Persaud called ‘Vishal’, a 40-year-old employee of the Lands and Survey Department and of Lot 43 Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara was shot dead and Manipaul Rambarhak called ‘Anand’, a 57-year-old farmer of Canal # 2 Polder was robbed of his gold bracelet valued at $250,000.
Rambarhak’s wife, Tara Rambarhak, told Stabroek News last week that her daughter was getting married on the day of the robbery and while the wedding was in full swing, her husband was sitting next to the fence in front of one of the homes that is situated in the yard when three masked men ran into the yard. One ran to her husband armed with a gun, one stood watch at the gate, followed by the other who was standing on the road keeping watch. Tara recounted that at the time of the incident she was standing at the bottom of the home.
“What I saw from where I was standing, the guys just came in and I saw them with the mask on and by the time I could not have done anything, one of the robbers place a gun to my husband’s belly and shot him,” she said, adding that the gunman relieved him of his gold hand band.
Tara added that she was not sure if Persaud was coming into the wedding house when he was shot or he was already there but what she can say is that he had gone home to change into his wedding outfit since he was with the family the
Otto Pitman
entire morning helping with wedding preparations. She opined that he may have seen the face of the gunman who had robbed and shot her husband because that robber’s mask fell as he was attempting to escape.
The gunman who shot Persaud also robbed him of his gold chain and gold ring. He was shot in the back of the head.
Persaud was a close friend of the family.
Detectives processed the scene and three .45mm spent shells were recovered. One on the bridge area and two at the entrance of the yard.