Trio charged for murder of Mahaicony cash crop farmer

Tears flowed freely both inside and outside the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court as murder charges were read to three Mahaicony men for the death of cash crop farmer Dearoop Siewchand.

Premnauth Seepersaud, 39, a minibus operator; Doodnauth Siewchand, 42, and 23-year-old Karran Ramhit, appeared before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell yesterday and were not required to plead to the capital offence charge.
In an almost packed courtroom made up of mostly family members, the men stared unbelievingly at Magistrate Lovell as she read the charge.

It is alleged that on Saturday January 4 at Zeeland, Mahaicony, they murdered 72-year old Dearoop Siewchand.
Police Prosecutor Corporal Cheryl Graham told the court that on the day in question, the three accused entered Siewchand’s home and demanded cash and jewellery. She said that Premnauth Seepersaud and Doodnauth Siewchand, who happens to be a nephew of the deceased, proceeded to beat the elderly man, and were later assisted by Ramhit.
The badly wounded man succumbed to his injuries.

Prosecutor Graham also informed the court that the investigations are not complete and detectives will be seeking further advice on the matter, especially since Siewchand’s wife was also badly injured during the attack.
Attorney at law Satyesh Kissoon represented Premnauth Seepersaud and Doodnauth Siewchand, the number one and three accused respectively. He said that Seepersaud is a father of two minor children while Siewchand is the father of one.

Denise Hodge, in association with Haymant Ramdhani, represented Ramhit, a rice farmer, who cried openly while standing beside his co-accused in the dock.

The matter will proceed by way of a preliminary inquiry and the accused were ordered to return to court on February 5 for report and fixtures.
As the men left the courtroom, their relatives who were also crying bitterly, labeled their plight a travesty of justice. They openly declared that the men were being framed.