Suspect in US Army doctor’s death found hanging in police lockups

Mar 20, 2013 News

By Leon Suseran
The body of a 28-year-old man who was detained for questioning in relation to the death of the U.S. Army Doctor, Max Kungel, was discovered hanging in his jail cell at the Number 51 Police Station on the Corentyne early yesterday.
Omesh ‘Radesh’ Thakurdin, formerly of Lot 286 Number 72 Village, Corentyne, was arrested by detectives on Monday as a person of interest in the gruesome shooting to death of the 42- year- old Dr. Kungel, whose body was discovered in a vehicle in the Number 71 Village rice fields backlands on Sunday morning.

Omesh ‘Radesh’ Thakurdin

Police stated that the man was found hanging at 05:20 hrs yesterday.
Thakurdin was a cousin of the murdered US military doctor.
But while the events in this matter have taken an interesting turn, Thakurdin’s family is highly suspicious of their relative’s apparent ‘suicide’. They stated that they were informed of the incident when a jeepload of policemen turned up at their residence just after 07:00 hrs yesterday.
Thakurdin, an employee at the Field Lab at the Skeldon Estate, was arrested early Monday evening and was accompanied by his mother, Jasmattie Thakurdin, to the Springlands Police Station.
Kaieteur News understands that the woman left her son at the police station at about 20:00 hrs and returned home.
Police sources informed this newspaper that Thakurdin became a person of interest after he was found in possession of what they described as evidence that could provide a clue to Kungel’s death.
“That’s all we are prepared to say at this time,” a police source in Berbice told this newspaper yesterday.
Thakurdin’s relatives’ suspicions about his apparent suicide were aroused by the fact that shortly after his arrest, Thakurdin was secretly transferred from Springlands to the Number 51 Police Station, where he was placed in a cell, without their knowledge.
“He was a kindhearted person—he was scared of the police…he was a ‘soft’ person,” said a close friend,
The man’s mother was very angry with the police. Dem [the police] a do dey own thing at Springlands (Police Station)…me ain’t know if dem knock him and kill him,” she lamented.
“Me ain’t believe de police—that is a wrong step dey make. Me big boy didn’t do anything,” she stated.
But the police are convinced that Thakurdin took his own life because “the net was closing in around him.”
A source close to the investigation revealed that police had begun questioning the suspect along a certain line and were getting closer to cracking the case.
“I guess now that he is dead, we will have to follow other leads,” the source stated.

Dr. Max Kungel

Police had been working on a theory that Kungel may have been killed as a result of a property dispute, among other scenarios.
Kaieteur News understands that the police are examining reports that Kungel was linked to large portions of property left by his deceased relatives.
One family member, who requested anonymity, stated that the family dispute matter “had nothing to do with cousins and other ‘far off relatives’…they have their own personal internal problems.”
The relative went on to say that the dispute centres around a Number 72 Village property and land, which Doctor Kungel’s father owned, as “well as other properties in Florida and New York.”
When Thakurdin’s relatives were questioned by this newspaper as to whether he was involved in any land dispute with Dr. Kungel, his mother replied, “He get his own house and land! Why would he involve in any land dispute?”
Thakurdin was scheduled to get married on Sunday.
The family is anxiously awaiting the results of the post mortem examination.
Meanwhile, the mother of the murdered man is not saying much.
When Kaieteur News visited her yesterday, she stated that she is in a state of mourning and could not speak to the media. Other family members are remaining tight-lipped about the incident.
A post mortem examination was performed on Kungel’s body yesterday, confirming that he died from gunshot wounds.
Two .25 calibre warheads were recovered from his body, leading police to concentrate in a particular direction although not ruling out all other possibilities.
“A .25 calibre weapon is usually associated with a female,” a police source told this newspaper.
A close examination of Kungel’s wounds suggests that he was shot at close range.
“Very close,” the source declared. “Whoever did this planned it very well. This is a different murder from one in which two men are fighting. It is not straightforward. The fact that the phones were taken could be a plan to remove all possible leads,” the source explained.
However, investigators were provided with the numbers for the cell phones and will be seeking the assistance of the local telephone companies to trace the calls made to and from them.
Meanwhile, an official from the United States Embassy in Georgetown in response to queries from this newspaper stated Captain Max Kungel was assigned to the 108th Training Command out of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The official said that The Department of Defense has contacted the next of kin and is providing appropriate services and initiating proper military protocols.