A hammer was one of the weapons used to bludgeoned Central couple Annmarie Bain and Raj Sookhai to death, police said yesterday. According to homicide sources, Bain, whose body was found down a precipice off the Blanchisseuse Bypass Road on Monday afternoon, was beaten in the head with the claw of the hammer. She had defensive wounds to one of her hands, police said.
Sookhai was also bludgeoned but was also stabbed on his neck and back. His semi-nude body was found at Manzanilla beach hours earlier. Detectives said a possible motive so far has been that the couple were linked to theft of a car from a police station in the Western Division last week. Police said another man, implicated in the theft, could help them in their investigations.
The couple was last seen alive on Sunday when they went to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary to conduct a car transaction. Sookhai’s body was found around 11.30 am at Manzanilla beach with stab wounds to the neck and chest. He was wearing only a T-shirt when he was found. It was initially thought that Sookhai had drowned but after his body was examined by a doctor it was determined he was murdered.
Sookhai lived at Raphael Road, Freeport, police said. Bain, of Preysal, was found down a precipice around 5.30 pm, off the Bypass Road. A Nissan Cefiro was parked along the roadway near where her body was discovered, police said. Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday relatives of both Bain and Sookhai did not want to be identified.
A female relative of Bain’s said she was not employed and was well loved. She added that the 48-year-old mother of two was a “caring person.
“It real disturbing, yeah... to know the type of person she was and then to know how she died. How they kill her... they used a hammer. Right now we just holding on as strong as we can but life is on pause right now because it have nothing we could do,” she said.
A relative of Soohkai described the 43-year-old father of one as a nice person. The woman said Sookhai worked as a straightener and painter and would occasionally buy damaged cars, repair them and sell them. She added she knew nothing of allegations that he was somehow involved in the theft of a car.
“He was a nice person who would always help. He was always giving. Anyone came to him for help he would help them,” the woman said.