FIVE persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the robbery and murder of a 63-year-old pensioner on Monday night.

A post-mortem yesterday revealed that Ramroop Rameshwar of Parika Sea Dam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) died from asphyxiation due to manual strangulation and suffocation. His right wrist was also broken in two places.

Rameshwar, who was robbed and killed at his home, was a cleaner at the Hydronie Market, also located on the East Bank Essequibo.

The father of one, who had lived alone for decades, was discovered gagged and bound at the entrance of his home. Residents in the area said he had recently been seen at the Parika Market wearing lots of gold jewellery, which he had been seeking to sell. It is believed that this may have been the motive behind the robbery/murder.

His son, Annand Rameshwar, said a neighbour called him at around 06:30hrs on Tuesday and told him that she had heard his father screaming. “She said he was hollering for ‘Murder!’ and ‘Help!’ But when she peep outside, she didn’t see anything,” the young man said. He further explained that his father had a collection of gold jewellery that was worth almost $3M.

One woman said the pensioner had borrowed $3,000 from someone, and surmised that he was probably seeking to repay the debt, which may have prompted him to sell his jewellery. (Rabindra Rooplall)