Accused dies after prolonged illness

Thirty-two-year-old Sheldon Chase, who had been on remand for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Enmore auto spares dealer Rajendra Singh, also called “Sunil”, whose body was later recovered in the Le Repentir Cemetery, died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
Guyana Times International understands that Chase had, for the past few months, been undergoing dialysis at the GPHC, but took his final breath at the medical facility on Saturday last. Chase had reportedly been in an out of hospital, and thus could not have attended court when the matter was called. He, along with five others, had been on remand since 2014.
The forty-year-old auto spares dealer of Lot 15 Foulis, Enmore, ECD had been kidnapped five days prior to his death. When his body was discovered in the Le Repentir Cemetery, his hands had been tied behind his back with a piece of rope. A white cloth has also been tied around his neck. Investigators confirmed that he had been strangled before his throat was slit, and he was believed to have been tortured.
Singh’s body had borne several marks of violence, which indicated that he had been severely beaten. A bullet wound was also visible to his head. The businessman had been clad in a pair of black socks, a pair of short blue pants, and a blue t-shirt. There had been fresh bloodstains around his body, which was tied to an abbey tree.
By a tattoo on one of his arms, the businessman had been positively identified by a close relative who is also a police rank. A cousin of the dead man had subsequently turned up at the scene, but there were no signs of the businessman’s immediate family members.
The kidnappers had reportedly contacted the family on one day prior to the discovery, requesting that the Gy$25 million ransom be dropped off at a certain location.
The kidnappers had reportedly contacted Singh’s family after kidnapping him, and they had given the family an ultimatum of 12:00 noon on Tuesday to deliver the money – a deadline the family did not meet.
Police ranks at the scene said the kidnappers initially wanted to kidnap the businessman’s 13-year-old son, but instead captured him. Since the kidnapping, the man’s wife and son have not been seen in public.
Minutes after the kidnapping, Singh’s family had been contacted. A ransom of Gy$50 million had been demanded for the businessman’s safe return. After the initial amount could not be raised, the kidnappers had phoned the businessman’s wife requesting Gy$25 million instead.