The killer, the taxi driver and the girl

Sep 25, 2016 Features / Columnists, Murder and Mystery

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By Michael Jordan

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold.
The gunman that was waiting to kill Balram Jadoonauth might not have known this proverb, but his unhurried manner suggested that he knew that his task required patience, rather than blind rage.
Dennis Street, Campbellville, was practically deserted around 2:30am on Sunday, April 15, 2012, when 24-year-old taxi driver Balram Jadoonauth headed to his parents’ home after working through the night at the GR Taxi Service.
He had just reached the entrance to the Lot 25 residence when the waiting gunman fired.
One bullet struck Jadoonauth in the left shoulder. Another punctured his liver and a third pierced one of his lungs.
The wounded man managed to drive a short distance before crashing into a lamp pole. The sound awoke some residents, who ran to the scene. They contacted the police and an ambulance took Jadoonauth to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he died shortly after.
From their home, Jadoonauth’s parents also heard the gunshots. They assumed that what they had heard was the sound of a vehicle backfiring, and went back to sleep.
They did not learn the truth until later that morning when police ranks rapped on their door to inform them that someone had gunned down their son in front of their home.
Police were quick to observe that the killer had not made off with the young man’s gold jewellery or his wallet. They didn’t have far to look for a motive.
Jadoonauth’s parents were not only certain that they knew who had killed their son, they also believed that they knew why he was slain.
At the time, the young taxi driver was having an affair with the wife of another man, who was also a taxi driver. According to relatives, the husband was aware of the relationship and had threatened Jadoonauth.
The young taxi driver took the threats seriously enough to make a report at the Kitty Police Station.
A few hours after the murder, police visited the suspect’s East Coast Demerara home and inquired about his whereabouts. A female relative told them that he had spent the entire Saturday night at home. She also said that he had left at around 6:30 the following day for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport to pick up a cousin who was scheduled to arrive on a seven-thirty flight.
Police then searched the premises. They found no incriminating evidence but took the man’s wife, who was said to be Jadoonauth’s lover, into custody.
A female relative of the suspect later told me that when he eventually returned, she informed him that the police had asked for him. According to her, she advised the man to go to the Kitty Police Station and he complied. He was then taken into custody.
She also admitted that the suspect and his wife had marital problems, but insisted that he had not killed Jadoonauth.
Police obtained telephone records which showed that the jilted husband had contacted Jadoonauth several times. The last phone calls were reportedly made just a few days before the young driver was slain.
The husband also admitted that he had threatened to kill Jadoonauth over the affair between his wife. He reportedly said that he had even complained to Jadoonauth’s parents.
But police said that the man denied killing his wife’s lover, and provided an alibi for his movements at the time Jadoonauth was slain.
Forensic ranks swabbed the man’s hands for traces of gunpowder and also impounded and searched his car. Again, they found nothing to link him to his rival’s death. They were also unable to shake his alibi.
It was then that police received word that a security guard, who worked at a nearby premises on the fateful day was claiming that he had seen the suspect near Jadoonauth’s home shortly before the victim was gunned down.
But when they took the guard in for questioning, the guard denied saying that he had seen the suspect. They were then forced to release the man.
Jadoonauth’s relatives are convinced that detective had held the right man. They are also convinced that there are at least a few people who saw what happened.
”People (in the area) saw what happened. We heard rumours. People saw things, but when it comes to coming forward, no one wants to,” relative said this week.
Did the suspect kill BalramJadoonauth and fake his alibi, with the help of close relatives? Could he have committed such a grisly crime and still manage to drive to the airport to pick up a cousin?
Or did he hire someone else to do the deed?
Did a security guard really see something suspicious that day?
Until someone steps forward, the Jadoonauth family may never know.

If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 225-8465, 225-8473 and 225-8458. You need not disclose your identity.
You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address [email protected].

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