Tragedy strikes Cleghorn village: 57-year-old woman murdered by psychotic man

A disturbing incident unfolded in the region as 57-year-old Mala Boodram was reportedly murdered in Cleghorn Village, by a mentally ill man, who is now in the police custody.

As for the incident, Police stated that the suspect was a worker at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) in San Fernando and claimed that he attacked the victim after the two had a spat over an internet connection discontinuity.

Police investigators indicated that the mentioned incident occurred at about 11:40 am when Mala Boodram descended downstairs of the house to confront the suspect whom she had accused of cutting off the internet service. The incident escalated to one where the suspect was reported to have been enraged, which led him to assault Boodram.

The aftermath of the incident was narrated by Boodram’s sister Omatie Basdeo, who was at the crime scene. Basdeo narrated how the suspect tried to trivialize the incident, insisting that Boodram had had a heart attack. But when the family got there, they saw Boodram unconscious and breathing heavily, she had blood oozing from her mouth as well as had bruises all over her body.

Basdeo disclosed the fact that the suspect suffers from mental disorder and is officially a resident of Ward 1 which is recognized as a psychiatric hospital. She said that where the suspect is compliant with his medication, he does not pose much of a threat and is not violent. But she expresses that he must have worsened in the three weeks’ holiday that he took prior to the incident.

Mala Boodram was a mother of two children, who was established in her community as a worker in a roti shop and also catered for the neighbours. The people of Cleghorn Village have been sympathizing with the victim’s family as her sudden death was a big shock to the community.

Professor Gerard Hutchinson, a psychiatrist at the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine campus, in response to the mishap, has offered his condolences to the victim’s family.

He also stated the fact that there has been an increase in mental health problems, especially among the young, across the globe since the emergence of COVID-19.

Professor Hutchinson called on families to be haste in seeking medical assistance for mental disorders and not to wait if they have an inkling that any of their kin could be suffering from it.

He noted that a certain percentage of patients with untreated or inadequately treated mental disorders can become violent, particularly when they decide to stop using mind-altering drugs given to them by their clinicians.