Ministry condemns murder of ECD woman; says no report made to 914 hotline

The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has condemned the brutal murder of 48-year-old Malini Wahid, who was strangled to death by her partner Balram Heeralall also known as ‘Nappy’ but says that it has no record of any report being made to the 914 hotline.

A press release from the ministry said that several reports in the media stated that several calls were allegedly made to the 914 hotline to report the abuse the woman faced on December 10. Those calls were, reportedly, unanswered.

Upon receipt of these allegations, the ministry said an investigation was immediately launched which included a thorough review by Digicel, GTT and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security of all calls placed to the 914 Hotline on that day.

Additionally, there was a review of the ministry’s internal call logs and several interviews with personnel who manage the 914 Hotline.

Following that review, the press release stated that no calls placed by any GTT or Digicel number on that day were unanswered or dropped. There were also no reports received of Balram’s abuse on that day nor any subsequent day.

Also, the ministry said that the same 914 hotline had been receiving and responding to calls on that there, wherein operators received numerous reports of other incidents of abuse.

“The purpose of the release of the findings of this investigation is to develop and maintain a relationship of mutual trust, cooperation, and respect by providing citizens with accurate information on the 914 Hotline’s administration and operation,” the ministry stated.

The press release also reiterated the ministry’s commitment through the 914 Hotline to respond to all cases of domestic violence, abuse, and gender-based violence.