Relatives await DNA on skeletal remains

Feb 06, 2017 News

– believed to be missing woman

Relatives have renewed their appeals for police to investigate the disappearance of Basmattie Anantram, who disappeared from her Seawell, Corentyne home under sinister circumstances in 2011.
The 46-year-old woman went missing after a male acquaintance from New York paid her a visit.
Shortly after she vanished on June 08, the individual left the country and never returned or made contact with her relatives.
Based on reports, Anantram’s partner visited her after receiving information that the woman was having an affair with someone from the neighbourhood.
On August 21, 2011, police found the skeletal remains of an unidentified female in a clump of bushes at the Weldaad Foreshore. The victim was clad only in underwear.
Anantram’s family suspects that the remains might be hers.
Police took samples from the family and promised that those samples would have been sent to Trinidad and Tobago for DNA testing.

Missing: Basmattie Anantram

Fast forward almost six years later, and Anantram’s family are still to receive the DNA results.
In June last year, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum had said that his ranks will first have to locate the detective who had worked the case back in 2011, so that he can direct investigators as to where he stored the file.
The file which is reportedly stored at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary holds the answer to a lot of questions, including if the DNA samples were ever sent for testing in the twin island.
Babita Thakoor, the sister of Basmattie Anantram, said that she is convinced that the body found in Berbice was that of her sister, who went missing in June, 2011.
The woman also believes that an acquaintance of her sister had killed her and dumped her body at the seawall.
According to Thakoor, Anantram was living in Berbice while her acquaintance was residing in New York during that time.
“He hear that she was having an affair and he come here and the two of them had a big story and then she de go away by some friend and he went for her and take her back home,” the woman said.
She added that neighbours confirmed seeing Basmattie Anantram entering her home with her partner on June 08, 2011- the last time she was seen or heard from.
“The neighbours say when they see her going into the yard, they never see her back. They said the next morning, they see he (her partner) on the verandah and two days later, he left with his suitcases to go back to New York.”
“When the body was found, I went there and I know it was her because she had two missing jaw teeth and the body also had two missing teeth. My sister also had a gold tooth but on the body, the gold teeth came out and the tooth was dark,” the woman alleged.
According to Thakoor, when the police failed to contact her almost a year after the body was found, she visited the police station and was told that the DNA result was not available.”
She eventually got frustrated and stopped going to the police.
“I don’t know where the body is, but I know it is my sister. We told the police, if they are going to bury it then they could at least show us where it is but they refused.”
Her relatives are hoping that like Babita Sarjou, they too can get justice.