By NALINEE SEELAL, Saturday, April 28, 2012
THE 25-YEAR-OLD suspect being sought in connection with the brutal murder of Nikita Ramischand, 18, the daughter of prominent attorney Odai Ramischand fled Trinidad five hours after he is alleged to have killed the teen.
The Guyanese national is reported to have boarded a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight at 12.25 am on Thursday and arrived in Guyana an hour later. His last known hideout was identified as East of the Demerara River in a place called Soesdyke. It is a fairly forested area inhabited by persons of the low income group.
Yesterday, Ramischand who said he is still in shock over his daughter’s violent demise said that his nephew Anil Mohabir Nandlall, who is the Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General of Guyana is very shaken up over the murder of Nikita and has put all resources in place to apprehend the suspect in the South American nation.
Ramischand said that based on immigration records he was able to find out when the suspect left Trinidad and when he arrived in Guyana and pointed out that all systems are in place to bring the suspect to justice.
“I will spend every penny and every breath that I have to make sure that justice is done to send a signal that you just cannot violate the sanctity of life and its regard to people’s feelings and respect for family life and decent people. I will make sure that justice is done through due process of law,” Ramischand said.
Ramischand said that he and his wife Shariza and five other children have not eaten or slept since Nikita was murdered and he is unsure if he will be able to even resume his legal career after his daughter’s funeral which has been tentatively set for next week Tuesday at the house of mourning. However he is clear in his mind that justice must be served.
“No one can interfere with my children and get away with it. Seeing my daughter take her last breath and blood seeping from her throat and stab wounds in her chest...it’s something I will not wish for any parent to witness. Rest assured, that man who took my Nikita away will be hunted down and brought to justice,” Ramischand vowed.
Ramischand said that on Wednesday he began feeling uneasy while at work and could not understand why he could not concentrate. He said that while at the office, Nikita telephoned him and said: “Dad, I feel like cooking for you today. I know your favourite meal is dhal, rice, caraili with shrimp and coconut chutney. I am looking forward to seeing you home soon.”
Ramischand said that he was kept back at his office on Wednesday because of legal work he is doing for a client in Guyana. On arrival home on Wednesday night he was met by his frantic wife who told him that Nikita could not be found.
He said that he told his wife and other children to look for her in the compound because his daughter never went anywhere without family members. “I told them to call her cellphone and when it began ringing at the back of a guest house on the compound my children rushed to where the phone was ringing only to discover Nikita gasping and vomitting chunks of blood.” Ramischand said when his children and wife began screaming he rushed to the area only to reach in time to see his daughter breathe her last.
“I almost collapsed. I could not believe what I was seeing. I thought my daughter was safe and protected at our home. The person who took away her life has no regard for human life or the repercussions of his actions.”
Ramischand said that he will forever be haunted by the image of blood spurting from Nikita’s neck and chest. He fears his family will never recover from this ordeal. He said the last meal Nikita cooked for him is still in the fridge. He said it will never be eaten and he will find some way to preserve it as it was the last act of love his daughter did for him before her death.
Ramischand said he regrets being kept back at his office as he felt his daughter would still be alive if he had come home his normal time. He said that the killer would have fled the scene shortly after he (Ramischand) arrived home.
He also revealed that his wife received three telephone calls from the suspect who claimed he was still in Trinidad staying in Chaguanas and Freeport. “That man had the audacity to call my wife to plead his innocence and even told her that he was not the person who killed Nikita. He said it was something which he could never do,” Ramischand said.
Ramischand said that he even asked the killer to meet with him but the man promised to call back. This conversation was recorded by police and later traced to Guyana. He said that hundreds of persons attended a wake at his home for Nikita on Thursday night and everyone expressed horror over the killing.
He said that two years ago, he took a decision to leave Trinidad and migrate with his family because of the crime situation but because it would have disrupted his children’s education, he decided against it. With Nikita’s death, migration is now uppermost in his mind.
Ramischand said that the Government of Guyana and the Trinidad Police are working hand in hand to bring the suspect to justice. Newsday understands that AG Nandlall was expected to arrive at 5.30 pm yesterday to attend next week’s funeral.
The teenager who was a student of the School of Business and Computer Studies (SBCS) was killed on Wednesday night while walking to her mother’s salon located inside her father’s mansion at Maracas/St Joseph.
The killer scaled a 10 foot fence at the northern side of the house and reportedly ambushed Nikita as she made her way to the salon. An autopsy carried out on Thursday revealed that the young woman’s throat was slit and she was stabbed six times.
