GUYANA - Six months after a tragic fire claimed the lives of a mother and her four children at No. 64 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, no suspects have been charged in connection with the blaze.
Investigations into the deadly incident, which occurred on November 12, 2024, are still ongoing.
The victims, Hemwatie Singh, and her children, Kelvin Ramjatan, Brandon Ramjatan, Cindy Ramjatan, and Tomesh Ramjatan.
Speaking with Kaieteur News last Tuesday, Region Six Commander, Senior Superintendent Shivpersaud Bacchus, confirmed that investigators have made no significant progress to charge anyone. “No further information or evidence, as investigations continue,” Bacchus told Kaieteur News.
Back in December, this publication reported that several persons in connection with the fire were arrested. However, earlier this year, when questioned about the status of the investigation, Commander Bacchus disclosed that legal advice had been sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), but no charges were laid at the time.
The fire, which occurred around 2:00 hrs, shocked the Berbice community and the nation. The victims were identified as 34-year-old Hemwatie Singh, a housewife, and her children: Kelvin Ramjattan (14), Brandon Ramjattan (10), Cindy Ramjattan (11), and Tomesh Ramjattan (2). Singh’s eldest son, 17-year-old Kevin Ramjattan, was the only family member to survive the blaze.
The children’s father, Rohan Ramjattan, was not at home at the time of the fire as he was in police custody in connection with a cattle rustling matter.
According to police reports, the fire began while the family was asleep. Kevin told police that he was sleeping on the veranda when he was awakened by flames from the lower flat, where his father’s car was parked. He rushed downstairs and found his family awake and trying to escape. “They tried to run out of the house, but as they saw the large flames in front of the house, they turned back and went upstairs,” he reportedly told police. As a result, they were trapped in the fire.
The teenager said he was unable to immediately call the police due to the lack of a phone and unresponsive neighbours. He ran to his grandmother’s house for help, but by the time they returned, the house was fully engulfed in flames. Kevin had noted that the steel gate, which he closed the night before, was open when he escaped the next morning. (Kaieteur News)
