Man’s body found floating at Cornelia Ida seawall

Feb 08, 2014 News

The body of a West Coast Demerara man was yesterday morning found floating face-down at the Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, seawall. The man, 48-year-old Abdool Nazir Hack, also known as ‘Dara’, resided at 35 Gas Station Street, Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, with his 82-year-old mother, Zabeeda.

Dead: Abdool Nazir Hack

Hack, who was the last of seven children, was never married and had no children.
According to his niece, Nafeeza, who lives behind Hack’s residence, she last saw her uncle around 14:00 hours Thursday at his home resting in a hammock. This, according to the young woman, was a regular practice of the now dead Hack. “I went out yesterday (Thursday) morning and when I come back I see he in the hammock outside…I left he deh go and do my (house) work and suh,” related Nafeeza.
She said that while her uncle hadn’t a stable job he would do odd jobs for persons in the neighbourhood. In fact she recalled that it was a woman, who he would normally do work for, who first made the family aware of a body at the seawall yesterday morning. “She called me this morning and she asked me if Hack come home last night…suh me tell she me ain’t know; me come out and ask me grandmother and she say how he nah come home last night,” Nafeeza told this publication.
The woman said that she, in the company of her husband, decided to go to the seawall only to discover that the body was in fact that of her uncle’s. Although the man was face down, Nafeeza said that she immediately recognised him from an old scar at the back of his head. The scar, she disclosed, was caused when Hack was involved in an accident some years ago.
Hack’s floating body was first seen by a female resident of the area who had gone out to pray at the seawall. She raised an alarm which caused other residents to scurry to the location where the body was recovered. The body, this publication understands, bore no visible signs of injury but the face had some abrasions which some residents believe were caused by obstacles in the water and the abdomen appeared swollen.
The police were summoned to the scene after which a male neighbour “fished” the body out of the water. Undertakers, shortly after, took the body away.

The dead man’s 82-year-old mother, Zabeeda Hack, is convinced her son was killed.

It is the belief of some of Hack’s family members that he was drunk and fell into a canal and “washed” towards the waterway where he was found floating. They are convinced that he drowned. However, the man’s elderly mother is certain that someone killed her son.
According to the dead man’s sister-in-law, ‘Sisto’ Chetram, although Hack was an alcoholic, he was always a very nice and helpful person. “He was not a bad person at all but he just like drink a lot…and when he drink he like cuss-up and so,” Chetram said.
Hack’s sister, Bibi Reid, who resides at Grove, East Bank Demerara, admitted that her brother was a very heavy drinker but she too added that he was a rather pleasant person when he wasn’t drunk. “He never had no problem with nobody…once he ain’t drink he is such a nice person and he got a lot of friends; he was a very friendly person.”
Hack, according to his sister, would have celebrated his 49th birthday in May.
She disclosed that the man was once employed at a gas station before taking up another job as a handy-man. According to Reid she was shocked to hear that her brother was found dead at the seawall since he doesn’t know how to swim and isn’t known to venture to the waterway even to catch fish.
Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the man’s death and a post mortem examination is expected to be conducted on his remains in the new week.
Earlier this week the bodies of two fishermen, who were missing since Saturday, were found floating at the De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara, foreshore. Post Mortem examinations conducted on the men, 47-year-old Sahadeo Bhagwandat known as ‘Jango’ and 46-year-old Ramdeo Sijogie known as ‘Bobby’, revealed that they both drowned. They were also said to be alcoholics.