More than three months later, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is still investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder of Canada-based Guyanese woman, 68-year-old Roma Dookeran, whose partially-nude body had washed up on Leguan Island on March 17.
This is according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum. “The probe is still ongoing. That’s all I can say at this point in time,” the Crime Chief told this publication when contacted Monday.
According to previous reports, Dookeran formerly of Pert Village, Essequibo Coast, reportedly arrived in Guyana to finalise several business transactions a week prior to the discovery of her body in Leguan.
CCTV footage showed that the woman was dropped off at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) by her nephew, at about 22:45h on March 14, 2023. However, instead of boarding her flight back to Canada, the woman took a taxi and departed the CJIA, heading to Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara and subsequently to the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.
Subsequent to the discovery of her body, a taxi driver was arrested in connection with the murder. Despite the arrest of a taxi driver for questioning, no substantial information was released to the public regarding the case, leaving many questions unanswered. To date, it remains unclear how she ended up dead on the Region Three island.
The body of Dookeran was found clad only in a black brassiere, with what appeared to be a silver wedding ring on a finger and a silver chain around the neck. The body was inspected by officials for marks of violence, and there were black and blue marks between the legs and on the side of her body.
A post-mortem examination conducted on Dookeran determined that she died from brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head and compression to the neck.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had previously told the media that the investigation into this murder as complex and time-consuming.
“Usually, these cases will require quite an amount of forensic examinations, checks, and identifying the persons who may have had engagements with her to come to a definitive position on it,” Benn formerly explained.
