Skeldon Estate foreman found dead behind ‘back-track’ boat service

–autopsy reveals he died by ‘manual strangulat?ion’

A FIELD foreman attached to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo)’s Skeldon Estate was found dead Tuesday behind a popular back-track boating service at Springlands, on the Corentyne .While the details surrounding the death of 52-year-old Ravindranauth Tirka, alias ‘Engine’, remains sketchy, an autopsy done by Government Pathologist, Dr. Vivikanand Brijmohan at the Skeldon Public Hospital, has since revealed that death was due to manual strangulation.
Tirkha was reportedly discovered face down, blood oozing from his nose, at around 05:30hrs on Tuesday. Reports are that robbery may have been the motive, since his ‘Blu’ cellular phone and gold chain were missing. He did not have any money on him either, which was unusual, but whoever discovered the body did find a silver Casio watch on his person.
According to his wife, Radica, better known as ‘Mala’, she last spoke to Rabindranauth at around 18:30hrs on Monday, and he told her he should be home by 19:00hrs.
After she noticed that 19:00 hrs had passed, she made several calls to his cellular phone, but they all went unanswered. Tired of waiting up on him, she turned in to bed, but was disappointed on awaking at not finding her spouse beside her.
On the advice of their 19-year-old son, she reported her husband sick to his employers, then went to the Skeldon Hospital, where, whilst waiting to be attended to, she received a telephone call from a police officer urging her to return home urgently, as something serious had occurred.
Accompanied by family members, she went to the scene of the discovery, where she positively identified the motionless body as that of her husband.
A sister-in-law, Devika Permaul, told the Guyana Chronicle that it was around 06:00hrs that her next door neighbour called out to her asking whether she’d heard that ‘Engine’ had drowned. Replying that she hadn’t, Devika quickly got dressed, and, accompanied by said neighbour, went to her sister’s house, where she saw police ranks questioning her nephew. After making enquiries, the tragic story unfolded.
According to the woman, Ravindranauth’s face was partially buried in a heap of sand; his pockets were empty; and both his Identification and ATM (Automated Teller Machine) cards were missing. Missing also, as far as she knew, were a gold band worth approximately $200,000 and his cellular phone.
Devika said that from all indications, her brother-in-law had put up a good fight, as his clothing were askew. She recalled that just Monday afternoon, he told the family he’d received a call from his employers saying that there was a function at the Estate. This was, however, denied hours later by visiting employers, who said they hosted no such event.
This newspaper was told that whenever Tirkha wanted to ‘take a drink’, he would tell tall tales, just so he could leave the house unchallenged.
He leaves to mourn his wife, two children and other relatives and friends.
Police investigations are continuing.