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Serial burglar tells cops he strangled ‘home alone’ woman, 73
– nabbed after attacking other woman, 63, in her bed
A 48-year-old man with a penchant for violent attacks on elderly women has confessed to beating and strangling 73-year-old Suroogpattie Ramlakan, called Auntie Carmen, in her Richmond Village, Essequibo home almost a year ago.
The Reliance, Essequibo Coast suspect made the shocking confession yesterday to detectives who arrested him after he came close to strangling a 63-year-old woman who lived alone at Bush Lot, Essequibo Coast. The community is located some four villages away from home of murder victim ‘Auntie Carmen,’ who was slain in February, 2015.
He had gained entry to the victim’s home by removing several louver panes from a window at the side of her house. He then began to choke the sleeping woman.
But residents, including the victim’s nephew, heard her desperate screams and surrounded the house, but by then, the intruder had fled.
But acting on information, police turned up at the suspect’s house and arrested him. His feet were still smeared with mud when police held him.
Strangled in her home: Suroogpattie Ramlakan, called Auntie Carmen
Captured: Auntie Carmen’s alleged killer
Kaieteur News understands that under interrogation, the 48-year-old man admitting to attacking the 63-year-old Bush Lot resident and stealing $7,000 from her home.
A senior police official told Kaieteur News that detectives had deemed the intruder as a prime suspect in the beating and strangulation of Suroogpattie Ramlakan, called Auntie Carmen, in late February of this year.
Back then, he had denied killing Ramlakan.
“He was held before, but he had denied (killing Ramlakan), but he was held for two burglaries and he confessed (to the murder).”
Police are to seek legal advice today to ascertain if they have enough evidence to charge the suspect with Ramlakan’s murder. The official who spoke to Kaieteur News appeared optimistic that murder charges will be laid against the suspect and expressed relief that the murder has been solved.
On February, 20, 2015, a neighbor visited Ramlakhan, 73, of Richmond Village, Essequibo and found her lying on the floor of her two-bedroom residence.
Her night dress was pulled above her knees and her neck bore lacerations, and a postmortem revealed that she had sustained head injuries and was strangled. However, there was no sign of sexual assault.
Detectives also found a packet of condoms below a window through which the killer(s) reportedly gained entry. A raincoat was also found at the scene.
Detectives believe that Ramlakan’s killer had dragged her off her bed after breaking into her home via her back door.
Residents later saw blood dripping from the slain woman’s floor.
While residents will be breathing a sigh of relief at the arrest, other women remain wary, since there have seen several unsolved attacks on females who live alone at various Essequibo Coast communities.
Just last week, a 28-year-old man was remanded for allegedly sexually assaulting a pregnant woman after breaking into her home.
Police have managed to solve several ‘cold cases’ this year, but remain under pressure following a spate of several other still-unsolved murders.
Statistics compiled by Kaieteur News show that 20 women were murdered in the first six months of the year.
Most of the women were victims of “crimes of passion.” However, there were others who were victims of brutal home invasions.
They included 77-year-old Carmen Ganesh, who was clubbed, kicked, stomped and strangled by a young man, in the woman’s Montrose, East Coast Demerara home. A suspect has been charged with this gruesome killing, which was recorded on security cameras.
She was the third elderly woman, who lived alone, to be murdered this year.
The others are 67-year-old Ramdai Mohabir, called ‘Aunty Elsie’, who was raped and strangled on February 9 in her Lot 665 Topo, Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, and Suroogpattie Ramlakan, 73, called Auntie Carmen, whose killer appears to have now been captured.
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