Slain dredge owner’s widow grapples with horrific memories

May 22, 2017 News

– bears a limp from gunman’s bullet, family left in debt

By Rehanna Ramsay

Studies have shown that often victims of violent crimes such as armed robbery are left to cope with feelings of regret, thoughts of what they “should have” or “could have,” done to prevent the dreadful experience.
Victims would find themselves grappling with the terrible memories, wishing that it never happened.
This is the constant, emotional battle for Shyrazadi Ragghu, who watched as her husband was brutally gunned down, and still walks with a limp, inflicted by a gunman’s bullet.
Mrs. Ragghu is the survivor of a brazen robbery which occurred almost four years ago. While she lived to tell her story, her husband Ashokumar Ragghu, was not so fortunate.
The couple was shot and robbed by two motorcycle bandits, as they stopped at a traffic light on Vlissengen Road, at the Botanical Gardens, a short distance away from the intersection at Regent Street, on August 18, 2014.
Mrs. Ragghu was shot in her right leg; her husband was fatally wounded. He died hours after, while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC).
The 43-year-old businessman and dredge owner was en route to downtown Georgetown to conduct business, when the thugs snatched a black haversack containing some $4M and made good their escape.
Travis Mc Dougall of East Ruimveldt was subsequently arrested and charged for the murder of Ragghu.
He was identified as the rider of the getaway motorcycle while Jermaine Otto was identified as the shooter.

Pictured in wheelchair Shyrazadi Ragghu, following the shooting on August 18, 2014

Otto however perished in a fire which occurred at the Camp Street Prison, on March 3, last year, which also claimed the lives of 16 others.
Mc Dougall was the sole accused left to stand trial before Justice Navindra Singh at the Georgetown High Court.
Last week, he was found guilty of manslaughter by a mixed jury.
Mc Dougall is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Looking back at the incident, Mrs. Ragghu said that she not only lost her spouse and source of income that day, but she lost most of the mobility in her right leg. Daily, the mother of three, struggles to pick up the pieces of what is left of her life; the hopes and dreams she shared with her husband have been shattered.
The couple had moved from their home in Crabwood Creek, Corentyne Berbice to Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown in a bid to facilitate their daughters’ education.
The girls, aged 22 and 17 at the time, were attending the University of Guyana.
But after their father was forcibly taken away from them, the family had no choice but to give up their Georgetown apartment and return to Berbice.
The children were understandably affected by their father’s death, but the person most affected was their mother.

Spectators surrounded the Ragghus’ car shortly after the incident

Mrs. Ragghu was left with a limp in her right leg that limits her mobility. She had to fend for herself, run a business in the “back dam” (the interior) and pay the debt that her husband had left behind.
While the limp is a physical reminder of the terrible ordeal, Mrs. Ragghu still struggles with emotional scars which are yet to be healed.
In a recent interview with Kaieteur News, the woman expressed her thoughts on the incident and outcome of the court matter. In a few words, Mrs. Ragghu could only describe the occurrence as “terrible and unforgettable.”
Her only comforts now are her children and grandchild. Having a grandchild serves as therapy for the still angry and emotionally tramautised Mrs. Ragghu.
“It helps me take my mind off things,” the woman says.
Mrs. Ragghu spends most of her time at her daughter’s residence on the East Coast of Demerara. She is still fearful and finds it hard to live in her house in Berbice.
The widow nonetheless said that she believes that her prayers were heard, and justice has been served, since
one killer perished in the prison fire and his accomplice has been convicted for manslaughter. He is to be sentenced on June 12.
Yet, the road to justice was not an easy one; Mrs. Ragghu endured many hardships after the death of her husband. With her son in law, Deochan Singh, as a constant help, the family was able to cope.
“We were forced to close the business in the interior.”
According to the widow, Mr. Ragghu had debts to repay, “and we were on our way to pay that debt with the money which the thieves snatched that day; a debt that still hasn’t been paid in full.”
“We were discussing how we was going to pay off the bills when it (the robbery) happened.”
That was the last conversation the woman recalled having with her husband.
While she still wishes that she can undo that which was done, at this point Mrs. Ragghu says that her only consolation would be to recover the stolen cash so that she can finish paying her debt.
“When this incident happened, the police said that the bag of money was recovered at the home of the shooter. In the Magistrates’ Court, when the police was asked to present the money, the exhibit was never presented. The police only say that a relative collect the money; unto this day we don’t know who collect the bag. While I thank the prosecutor and police for their work, it would be good if we could at least get back the bag with the money because as it is, I am left to depend on my daughters and I still have the debt to pay off.”