A week after finding the decomposing bodies of his parents, Shelly-Ann Ragoonanan and Wazir Mohammed in their homes, Vishard Mohammed performed Aarti in a sombre send-off at the Shore of Peace yesterday.
The melancholy was the outcome of the couple’s brutal murder, which shocked the Clarke Road, Penal community after it was learnt that two toddlers were left unattended among the decomposing remains of their loved ones.
At the funeral, there were no words from Vishard yesterday, only the sorrow on his face as he watched his parents reduce to ashes. Instead, his’s elder brother Ricky uttered a few words in respect to his father and step-mother.
“Six years ago I visited the house and had a relationship and we talked. Since then we have not visited each other. Shelly was a great mom to the family. She and my mom were good friends. She never disrespected anyone in the family and she showed a lot of love. I want to let everyone know that Shelly was a good person. As for my dad, over the years, the most I can say about him is he has love,” Ricky said.
Ragoonanan’s cousin Mohan Bachoo made a plea to the police for justice. He told mourners that while Mohammed was not much of a speaker, he would sit down and listen to what was being said at family gatherings. He recalled that it was Ragoonanan who would ensure that the family was well kept.
“Shelly would smile and nod her head. I remembered her father’s death a few months ago, she came there and the way the grief was in her face, it allowed other people to shed tears. Shelly was very caring,” Bachoo said.
At the service, Pundit Rajendra Maharaj said the persons who committed such a heinous crime should be put to death. However, Maharaj said that when such crimes are committed and the requisite penalties are not enforced, criminals are empowered to continue taking lives.
“This individual is classified as a desperado. That is someone who attacks wantonly without regard for lives. Whenever these individuals are taken to court, human rights activists would speak out on their behalf. They express to us the death penalty is inhumane,” Maharaj said.
Reports stated that Vishard, 21, made the gruesome discovery of Mohammed, 57, a scrap iron and used truck parts dealer lying in a corridor near the door. As he ventured inside, he found Ragonanan, 43, and Nazim, 52, lying in the living room. On a bed, he found his three-year-old sister and eight-month-old brother sitting among the stench of decaying bodies. The children were taken to hospital where they spent several days.
Up until yesterday, no one was held for the murders.