Four men have been detained for the murder of a Central woman who was killed during a home invasion early yesterday. Chaguanas mayor Gopaul Boodhan was at the crime scene hours after and said he knew the victim, Rautie Esther Gopaul. Boodhan advised residents to be alert for any suspicious activities in their communities and contact the police and report any strange behaviour they believe may have some level of criminal intent.
Gopaul, 42, also known as Wendy, was found unresponsive after three bandits broke into her home at McPhill Street, Caroni Savannah Road, Chaguanas and tied up her son, Aaron, 19, a student of the University of the West Indies, and herself with duct tape and plastic tie-straps. Asked if she was shot or attacked, one investigator, Sgt Jitindra Tooleram, said, “We are awaiting the post mortem.
“We don’t know if she died of a heart attack or what.” One of Gopaul’s younger sisters, who lives at Caroni Savannah Road and asked not to be identified, said her sister and her husband separated last year and she worked as a freelance sales attendant on contract with soft-drink manufacturer SM Jaleel. She said Gopaul was apparently strangled and her body was found face down on the bed. Police said the teenager managed to free himself after the bandits left and contacted neighbours and the police.
The relative said they were shocked when they found Gopaul’s corpse sometime after 3 am. Family members said there was no reason to kill Gopaul since she was not wealthy. They said she juggled jobs to support her son. Neighbours described Gopaul as a reserved person who kept to her own business and were baffled as to the motives behind the killing.
Police said the teenager was accosted by two men, one armed with a gun and the other with a cutlass, as he was watching television sometime after midnight. A third intruder woke Gopaul who was asleep in her bedroom. The men demanded money and jewelry, police said. Both victims were beaten during the robbery and the bandits ransacked the house stealing an undisclosed sum of money and jewelry, investigators said.
The murder has taken the toll to 16, in nine days. For the comparable period last year there were 23 reported murders.
Sensitive stage
Head of the Central Division Snr Supt Johnny Abraham, who was at the crime scene said four people of interest had been detained and were being questioned at the Chaguanas Station. He said while crime continues to be low in the borough no alarm was raised when the killers entered Gopaul’s house. “So far we have certain information that we are working on, I am not willing to reveal it at this time, the investigation is a sensitive case.
“Every time we have a murder people want to see it solve right away and when we tell the public that the investigation is a sensitive case they always believe that the murder won’t solve,” Abraham said.
“I have been going home 3 am every morning since the new year start ensuring that the people of Central Trinidad remain safe. Central Trinidad is lockdown from every corner, from Couva in the South to Caroni in the North to Las Lomas in the East to Brasso and for this year we only have three or four reported robberies to date.
“When a homicide like this takes place behind closed doors, even though the police vehicle may be passing here at the time of the homicide was taking place there was nothing to raise an alarm to say something was taking place because it was in enclosed premises.”
—with reporting by Yvonne Baboolal