Gangster Shazad Abdool knew someone wanted him dead so when he came out of jail last August he made sure to keep a low profile.
However, his desire to have a time out at a bar near his home on Friday proved fatal, as three masked gunmen pursued him and shot him several times about the body. His sisters Anisa Rahim and Marisa Rahim, as well as his neighbour Bryan Verrot, were also shot.
Anisa was discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday while Marisa, who is pregnant, remained warded in a stable condition.
Investigators said the men who shot Abdool had a directive to kill him. They believe the deaths were linked to the 2015 murder of fisherman Amit “Sanchez” Samaroo, 29, who was involved in illegal activity along with Abdool. Samaroo was a known drug and gun dealer with connections to a South American drug cartel. It is alleged that local law enforcement officers helped Samaroo to get drug shipments into the country. These shipments were transported under police guard to different locations, including Marabella, where Abdool lived.
The police source said Samaroo was killed after a drug deal went sour in 2015 and a shipment worth millions of dollars went missing. Everyone who was suspected of being part of that operation has been killed since then, the source added.
Apart from the executions of every drug dealer, there were also several innocent casualties, including Samaroo’s 19-year-old sister-in-law Kimberly Mohammed.
Samaroo’s brother Karan Tambie, 31 and his sister-in-law Patricia Toolsie, 24, as well as their friend Ricardo Massey, 25, were also shot on September 13, the night Samaroo died. The gunmen sprayed the area with bullets, hitting Utilda Williams, 60, of North Trace, Chatham, her friend Leon Graham, 67, of Mahaica, Point Fortin and Neil Paul, 27, of Marabella, all of whom were innocent bystanders.
Investigators said Friday’s execution of Abdool occurred in almost the same manner in which Samaroo was killed. The gunmen appeared not to care about bystanders at the Naughty Girl Bar, which is located at the corner of Union Road and Battoo Avenue.
A source who requested anonymity said Abdool, his sisters and Verrot were sitting on a concrete bench outside when a silver Nissan Wingroad pulled up and three masked men wearing hats ran out firing. Abdool jumped up from his seat and ran into the bar. The gunmen, who had high-powered guns, pursued him firing non-stop. The assailants then ran back into the car and escaped. The vehicle was recovered by police hours later. The identities of the gunmen remain unknown. At least 24 spent shells were recovered from the scene of the crime.
Homicide officers are continuing investigations.