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Body found in gutted house after gunshots, explosion
Totaram Mootoo, called ‘Beer’, and wife, Bhajmattie Mootoo, called ‘Dolly’
– victim believed to be businessman
In what appeared to be a brutal execution-style killing, police and firefighters today located the charred body of a man in the bedroom of a two-flat concrete house at Guysuco Scheme, East Coast Demerara, after a of fire mysterious origin gutted the Lot 22 property.
Sources said that the victim is believed to be popular businessman Totaram Mootoo, called ‘Beer’, who, along with his wife, Bhajmattie Mootoo, were the sole occupants of the building.
Eyewitnesses said that the fire started at around 23: 00 hrs on Friday, after gunshots were heard near the premises. A resident said that the blaze started after a loud explosion occurred in the building. The explosion blew a large hole on the wall facing the roadway. A resident said that the blaze started in the same master bedroom in which the body was found.
At press time today detectives and firefighters were trying to locate Mootoo’s spouse.
A close friend described Mootoo as an individual who owned several businesses, and who was also in the fuel business.
The friend told Kaieteur News that he was at a shop some distance away when he heard two gunshots.
He said that he then heard a loud explosion. The man said that he hurried to the area and saw Mootoo’s house ablaze.
The friend said that he became concerned when he saw both of Mootoo’s vehicles parked near the premises, since that seemed to indicate the couple was still inside the burning house. He then forced the gate open and smashed a window to gain entry. However, his efforts to locate the couple were futile.
Relatives also failed to contact Mootoo on his cell phone despite repeated attempts.
Firefighters later came to the scene and found the body in the bedroom.
Asked if he had observed anything suspicious, a resident who was one of the first to arrive on the scene said that he observed a white car with tinted windows, which were wound up driving away from near the burning building.
(See more details in tomorrow’s issue).
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