Student may have been killed over stolen watermelons

Nov 10, 2009 News

The theft of watermelons may have led to the beating death on Sunday of 16-year-old New Amsterdam Multilateral student, Vivian Singh Balrup.

Police investigations indicate that the teen from Reliance, East Canje, Berbice, succumbed after he was beaten on the head with a bamboo stick by a resident of Number 63 Village, Corentyne.

Dead: Vivian Balrup

An autopsy performed yesterday by Dr Vivekanand Brijmohan showed that the teen suffered a fractured skull and died from cerebral hemorrhage.

According to reports, Balrup and Susan Hernandez, 15, of New Amsterdam, Berbice, were with two other friends at the Number 63 Beach on Sunday when Singh reportedly entered a yard and picked watermelons that were being cultivated there.

Shortly after, Balrup and Susan Hernandez were walking along the beach when they were allegedly attacked by a man, who struck them several times with a length of bamboo before fleeing.

He sustained a gaping wound at the back of his head.

Balrup and Hernandez were rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where Balrup died even as preparations were being made to rush him to Georgetown

Hernandez was treated and sent away.

While a police release said that the suspect has not yet been arrested, Kaieteur News understands that persons have been taken into custody.

Balrup, who was scheduled to write the CSEC exams in June, lived with his parents Kirpaul Singh Balrup who is a tractor operator at the Rose Hall Estate, and his mother, Nadira Singh Balrup, a teacher at the Reliance Nursery School.

His brother is a trainee policeman at the Felix Austin College at Adventure, Corentyne, and his sister, Arlene Singh Balrup, is a trainee nurse at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Singh would have celebrated his 17th birthday next Tuesday. Vivian’s relatives are baffled about why the attack was launched and believe that some ulterior motive was at work.

A police source told this newspaper last night that investigations were still ongoing. The three friends and a taxi driver who were with Balrup have given statements to the police.

In tears, his parents related that he left with three friends to go to the beach on Sunday. Around 14:30 hrs, they received a call that he was injured and was on his way to the hospital.

They, along with their daughter and other relatives, arrived at the New Amsterdam Hospital about 45 minutes before the vehicle transporting their son arrived.

He was unconscious and was bleeding profusely from his wounds. Kaieteur News understands that investigators are to further question the teens who were with Balrup when he was beaten.

The investigators are also said to be pursuing leads about a triangular affair.

The family is hoping that the perpetrators will be caught and brought to justice as quickly as possible.

Balrup will be cremated on Saturday.