Probe still ongoing into Roma Dookeran’s murder

The investigation into the murder of Roma Dookeran, the overseas-based Guyanese, whose body was found at the Leguan foreshore last month is ongoing.

Detectives had arrested two persons including a Pegasus Hotel taxi driver, who was last seen in Dookeran’s company but they were both released after their 72-hour detention period expired.

No further arrests have been made since.

However, sources told the News Room that the investigation remains active.

During the initial stage of the investigation, the taxi driver had told detectives that he dropped Dookeran off at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

However, detectives found that he lied when he was unable to point out the location in the area where he reportedly dropped her.

In fact, sources had told the News Room that surveillance footage revealed that at no time was Dookeran taken to Diamond. Rather, she was dropped off at an East Bank Demerara hotel.

The semi-nude body of Dookeran was discovered at around 08:00 hrs on the foreshore of the island of Leguan in the Essequibo River on March 17.

An autopsy later determined that the woman died from brain hemorrhage due to blunt trauma to the head and compression to the neck.

Dookeran, 68, was a retired manager and lived in Canada. She was reportedly in Guyana to transact business and reportedly stayed at Perth village on the Essequibo Coast.

On March 14, her nephews dropped her off at the airport, reportedly to board an American Airlines flight to New York and then presumably to board a flight from there to Canada.

Investigations by the News Room found that Dookeran was never booked to travel on any AA flights on that night or the rest of the week.

At the airport, the CCTV footage shows her exiting a car driven by her nephew.

However, instead of proceeding inside the airport to check-in, she proceeded to the arrivals area and boarded an official airport taxi which took her to the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown.

Sources confirmed that Dookeran checked into the hotel on the night of March 14, 2023, and she checked out the following morning and got into a taxi at the hotel. Her body washed ashore at Leguan on March 17.