52-year-old woman chopped to death; son hospitalized

Police are investigating the murder of a 52-year-old woman of Lot 9 Good Hope, Ruby, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). She was on Thursday morning chopped to death at her home.

The incident occurred sometime after 4 a.m.

The News Room understands that Waheeda Shamshudeen lived with her son-in-law who sells newspapers in Georgetown.

On Thursday morning after the man left for work, it is alleged that someone entered the house, struck the woman to her head, severed her neck and then placed a plastic bag over her face.

The suspect did not leave the house before also covering the woman’s corpse with a clean sheet.

Just Wednesday afternoon, the woman’s 20-year-old son Nazir Khan was chopped to his back and head by a neighbour during an argument.

The suspect was arrested shortly after.

Shamshudeen’s body was found by her second son-in-law, Leon Parahoo who lives at Zeelugt, West Coast Demerara.

Parahoo who drives a minibus on the West Coast said he was slated to pick up his mother-in-law at 08:00hrs to take her to the Georgetown Public Hospital where Khan is a patient.

However, he said he ended up taking “a trip” to Parika at around 6:00hrs and decided to stop and visit her.

The man said he sent his conductor to see if she may be ready as he noticed a window was open. When the man pushed the door, they realised that too was open.

Upon entering the house, he noticed someone covered in a sheet but first thought it was a relative who came home drunk and fell asleep.

It was then that Parahoo made the tragic discovery as he pulled the sheet to notice the woman lying in a pool of blood.

He told the News Room that the sheet was clean which shows that it was placed there intentionally after the gruesome murder.

Police told the family the 52-year-old woman’s neck was severed as “just a piece skin left onto her neck,” Parahoo said.

A relative told the News Room that the house was also ransacked and cash along with a few bank cards are missing.

Relatives believe someone connected to the first suspect is responsible for the mother but no one has yet been arrested.