Police are searching for a middle-aged man who they believe may have pushed mother of two Shanti Ganesh into the sea before her body was found floating off San Fernando on Monday.An autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday showed Ganesh, a 58-year-old cook from Debe Trace, Debe, died from asphyxia due to drowning. She was found in the waters opposite the Public Transport Service Corporation's (PTSC) mechanical bay at Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando.
Up to late yesterday, police were searching for the stockily-built man, who was captured on a CCTV camera having drinks with Ganesh before she died.The video footage showed Ganesh and the man walking on the beachfront around 4.30 pm with the man holding her purse. They walked to a shop to buy ice for their drinks and then walked closer to the beachfront.Residents told police they subsequently saw the man leaving the beachfront with grass stuck on his head but Ganesh was not with him.
Later, when resident Reuben Clarence was walking along the beachfront, he saw Ganesh's body in the water. She was fully clothed and still wore several pieces of gold jewelry.Although her purse containing her bank card and other items was found on the shore, there were no ID cards.
San Fernando CID officers, led by Supt James, Insp Williams and Cpl Fortune, retrieved the body with the help of two fishermen as there was a high tide at the time. DMO Peekhoo found no marks of violence on the body and it was taken to the San Fernando mortuary.
At her family's home at Pundit Trace, Debe, a relative told the T&T Guardian they did not know who Ganesh was with on Monday afternoon.
The woman said they knew she had left for San Fernando around noon on Monday but did not know exactly where she had gone."People saw her going to San Fernando around 12 pm and when her son called her, she said she was in San Fernando. All she said was she was in San Fernando with someone and we did not hear anything about her again until yesterday (Tuesday)," she added.
The relative said police came to their home on Tuesday afternoon, told them of the body found at King's Wharf and asked to see a picture of Ganesh.Remembering the last time they spoke, she said Ganesh was in a cheerful mood when they celebrated Divali last Saturday.
"Well, I had a Hindu prayers on Saturday gone and she was nice, loving, friendly. Nothing was wrong. We did not think anything like this would have happened to her. All of us are in shock right now. We never thought anything like that would have happened to her," she added.She said Ganesh's 90-year-old father was traumatised as both his daughters had now died horrible deaths.Ganesh's sister, Sharida Mohammed, died in a car accident 15 years ago in Miami.PC Ramkissoon is continuing investigations.