Missing Parika taxi driver found dead
THE body of the missing taxi driver from Parika, Region 3 (West Demerara/Essequibo) was found in a canal aback of Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice early yesterday morning.A group of West Coast Berbice men going into the backdam to hunt iguanas came upon the badly decomposed body of Shurland Dalloo, 33, of 55 Parika around 07:30 hrs.
The body was discovered tucked under aquatic weeds and may have been there for a number of days since the area is off the main road from Onverwagt to the Abary River and is relatively isolated.
The forehead of the dead man had been bashed in making facial recognition impossible. The extent of the damage suggested that he had been bludgeoned to death.
Yesterday relatives of the dead man travelled from Parika to West Coast Berbice and positively identified him by means of the clothing he had been wearing when he left home at 07:30 hrs in his taxi to ply the Parika to Georgetown route on Monday, October 26 last.
Relatives said that the discovery had ended an almost countrywide search for the 33-year-old man after he failed to return home from operating his taxi that day.
“We searched in Linden, in the Rupununi, in Mahdia along the East Bank Highway, West Demerara, all over. Many of his taxi driving colleagues were involved,” his uncle-in-law said.
Others who declined to be named said that although the news of the discovery was horrifying, at least they felt some closure in the discovery of his remains.
They expressed hopes that the police would soon arrest the perpetrators of the brutal act.
Dalloo went missing on October 26th last.
He left his home at 07:30 in his hire car, a silver grey Carina, registration number HB 8739, and failed to answer phone calls on his cell phone around 12:30 hrs.
According to reports a mini-bus driver who is a friend of the dead man saw him inside his vehicle parked on the Flour Mill Road at Eccles, East Bank Demerara with two men inside around the same time.
The man said that Dalloo hailed him and put on the hazard lights of his vehicle.
He returned the call but did not stop since he was transporting passengers and he felt that Dalloo was merely hailing him as he usually did.
Reports said that the driver subsequently realised to his chagrin, that Dalloo was probably being held hostage at the time and trying to attract his attention so that he could assist him in getting out of the situation.
Dalloo has left to mourn his parents, one brother and his wife.
The body of the dead taxi driver was taken to the mortuary at Fort Wellington where a post-mortem is expected to be performed today.
The vehicle driven by Dalloo at the time of his disappearance has not yet been recovered.
The police said that investigations are continuing.
