‘Aunty Betty’ murder: Niece, neighbour jointly charged for murder

Dec 09, 2022 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – Two persons were on Thursday jointly charged with murder committed on Sumintra Sawh called ‘Aunty Betty’ and remanded to prison.

The duo Mohammed Ramzan Shaheed called ‘Bhajee’ a 48-year-old labourer of Loy 132 Section ‘D’ Bushlot, West Coast Berbice (WCB) and Roshanie Basdeo called ‘Mala’, a 37-year-old housewife of Lot 84 ‘D’ Bushlot Village, WCB, were not required to please to the indictable offence when they appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Fort Wellington Magistrates’ Court.

Mohammed Ramzan Shaheed

Shaheed and Basdeo were remanded to prison until December 14, 2022.

Shaheed, is accused of colluding with Roshanie Basdeo to kill 85-year-old Sawh between November 27 and November 28, 2022. He told Investigators that he was contracted to kill the elderly woman but denied stabbing her. He had initially denied being involved in Sawh’s murder. However, on Monday he reportedly told Investigators that he beat her with a piece of wood.

Sawh’s battered body was found a week ago with stab wounds and head injuries lying in a blood soaked bed at her Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice (WCB) home. An autopsy has since revealed that Sawh was stabbed seven times and sustained a fractured skull.

Roshanie Basdeo

The elderly woman’s Great Niece, Basdeo, was the first to be arrested for her murder. Basdeo had initially told Investigators that two men wearing dark clothing and armed with knives, entered the home, tied her up, killed Sawh and stole $350,000.

Basdeo then changed her story and instead claimed that she was part of a plan with Shaheed to rob and kill the Bust Lot Pensioner. The plan was to steal the money she had saved, purchase a scooter, and then take over the house. A wanted bulletin was subsequently issued for Shaheed.

However, her story changed a third time when she told cops that she had murdered her Great Aunt alone. She claimed that she had battered the woman to death with a hammer and wood after Sawh accused her of stealing her money. She said she discarded the murder weapons in a pit latrine.

Cops reportedly recovered the suspected murder weapons and a blood stained night gown.

Police were still looking for Shaheed despite Basdeo’s third confession and upon his arrest last Saturday, he confessed that Basdeo asked him to kill the woman because she wanted the house. Basdeo reportedly promised him payment after the act and he agreed.

To execute the plan, the man said he started by consuming white rum on his verandah and at around midnight he ventured to Sawh’s house where he picked up the wood and entered the house through the door that was left open for him.

Shaheed said that entered Sawh’s room and dealt her several lashes to her head until the elderly woman started groaning with pain. He threw the wood into the hallway before leaving the victim’s home.

The man alleged that he went home and continued drinking before retiring to bed. Around 04:00hrs, he was awoken to screams of “Thief! Thief!”coming from Sawh’s Great Niece. According to Shaheed, he subsequently got up, took a bath, shaved, locked up his house and left the area on his bicycle. He reportedly told investigators that he left after Basdeo did not have the money to pay him. He said he stayed at various friends’ and relatives’ homes before his return on Monday when he was arrested.