Despite wanting to end her common-law relationship after her husband Premnath Ramkhalawan abused her at her workplace, Aarika Bhim heeded relatives’ advice to keep their family together for the sake of their daughter, Arti.
However, her decision to make things work led to her death on Sunday night when Ramkhalawan stabbed her to death inside a Nissan Sunny B-13, which was owned by her late husband Yankaran Gary Hassanali.
Speaking at their Laltoo Trace, Penal, home yesterday, Bhim’s brother, Doodnath Bhim, said after the beating at the Doors and Windows Ltd at Scott Street, San Fernando, the family sat down with them to discuss their problems.
He said when his sister said the relationship could no longer work, he urged them to give Arti the chance to have a complete family. Had he known his advice would turn tragic, he would not have said anything.
He added: “We talked about it right here and they said they could not make it together. She said he quarrels too much but every couple has arguments.
“I told them to try and make it for the child because she needed both mother and father. He even told me he would kill himself and I reminded him that everything that child wanted, she called for her father.
“From ever since that child born, he took care of her while Aarika worked. It was only two months ago he started to work.
“Aarika said she could not make it with him and our mother said for him to go back home but he did not want to as he was working right in Penal. He said if he went back to Princes Town, there is no work there.
“I told him to listen to me and everything would be alright. He was listening to me and everything was going well but I don’t know what happened,” Doodnath said.
No ‘horning’
Clearing the allegations that Bhim had another relationship, Doodnath said that was not so. He said his sister and Ramkhalawan got together a year after Hassanali committed suicide by hanging.
He said Hassanali had become depressed when his car got in an accident and was stolen three days after it was repaired. He said this may have caused him to hang himself in 2009. He said Bhim and Hassanali had a good relationship.
Although the car Bhim was killed in belonged to Hassanali, he said it was purchased for him by his (Doodnath) mother Sharada Bhim.
He said the car was parked at Hassanali’s relatives home for years until his brother gave the car to Bhim and Ramkhalawan. He added there were outstanding payments on the car that Bhim had recently settled.
The wedding
On Sunday, the family attended a wedding for Ramkhalawan’s brother, Shane, 18, in Princes Town.
According to Ramkhalawan’s younger sister, Ria Ali, 24, she said although the couple were involved in an argument at the wedding, it was not with each other.
At her St Julien’s Village home yesterday, Ali said both Bhim and Ramkhalawan appeared to have been drinking even before they came to the wedding. Even at the bride Felicia Persad’s home, the couple were drinking and dancing together.
“Everybody was having a good time and they were drinking and wining down the place. I don’t think they even had an argument with each other at the wedding. I know she has a hot mouth and maybe the argument happened after the wedding,” Ali said
Bhim and Ramkhalawan had an argument with Felicia’s mother over Arti staying in a room with the dresses. She said the couple and their daughter were kicked out of the wedding and no one knew what happened after that or what led to the killing.
Death threats
Ali said Ramkhalawan had complained that Bhim used to quarrel too much and he had threatened to kill her. However, she said she recently learned that Ramkhalawan also threatened to harm the child.
“We knew this could have happened because he threatened to done away with her. We heard he threatened to done away with the child too.
“About a month ago, he went to her work and beat her up. We heard that she was horning him and was not giving him anything,” Ali added.
She said relatives were still in shock over the murder.
‘Arti must live a successful life’
‘With Arti now being made an orphan, Doodnath said his priority was to ensure Arti grew into a successful woman. Knowing that there could be a stigma against her due to the nature of her parents’ death, he said he and his wife would work hard to ensure it did not affect her development.
“My niece will pull through despite all the things people will be saying about her mother and father. She will prove them wrong,” he added.
A party was being planned for Arti’s third birthday on Thursday but doctors said she would have to remain at hospital.
Staff at the San Fernando General Hospital said she remained warded in a stable condition and was being monitored closely. Doodnath said she was doing well but had plasters and bandages covering half of her face, neck and hands. He said on one hand she has approximately 15 stitches in different areas.