Grieving dad: ‘Bring back hanging’

The father of Jerome Ramsahai wants the Prime Minister to start back the hangings. Bhimal Ramsahai refuses to believe that the burnt bodies found in a car trunk in Arima are those of his son and nephew Dale Ramsahai. Instead, he made an impassioned plea to criminals to put down the guns and for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to bring back the hangman.

Ramsahai spoke with reporters shortly after Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim visited with him and Dale’s mother at their Debe homes. Jerome, 27, a loans officer, and Dale, 28, an IT co-ordinator who lived one house away from each other at Seurage Trace, were sharing an apartment in Port-of-Spain as they both worked there.

Police found the bodies wrapped together in barbed wire after responding to a report early Friday morning that a car was on fire at Heights of Guanapo. The cousins went missing on Thursday. Holding back the tears at his home, Ramsahai said he would not accept the bodies were those of Jerome and Dale’s unless DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) tests proved otherwise.

Ramsahai said when he went to the Forensic Science Centre to view the remains he could not identify anything. “I want to believe that they are somewhere out there alive—and who have them release them, please. I don’t want to believe that they died. I want to believe that they out there somewhere and I want to believe that they will come home and I waiting for that.

“And I want to send a message to all those criminals out there in Trinidad to put down your guns, let we come to a peaceful land and be happy. Let us live as one united big family.” To the Prime Minister, he said, “You have the power in your hand. You could solve this crime, start back the hanging...whatever the situation. I want justice in this.”

He said if Jerome had received any threats he would have known as they were “very good friends” and spoke to each other regularly. Jerome’s sister is Liana Ramsahai, deputy chairman of state-owned Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG). In 2010, Liana reported to police that a man gave her a threatening message for the Prime Minister. 

Police are investigating whether that threat was linked to Dale and Jerome’s disappearance. However, the cousin’s relatives did not think the threat was linked, or was political. At Dale’s home, the media were not allowed inside during the minister’s visit with his mother, Savitri. A male relative said they did not have any other information and they were just trying to keep his mother calm.

Describing the situation as sad and very unfortunate, Karim said he knew Liana and her family very well.