(Trinidad Express) Homadath Sookdeo never missed Sunday lunch at his childhood home in Longdenville, and when he did not show up last weekend, his loved ones knew something was wrong.
A search was carried out at the homes of relatives and friends.
But that did not last long.
Sookdeo’s body was found in bushes at Tyrico Bay at around 10 a.m. on Sunday.
His hands and feet were bound and his mouth gagged.
He was wearing only a pair of red three-quarter pants.
The Express visited his relatives yesterday and was told that Sookdeo had made no plans to drive to the north coast.
He was last seen on Saturday afternoon, when he told relatives he was going to collect rent money at an apartment building he was managing for his brother.
A relative, who spoke with the Express yesterday, criticised the current state of emergency (SoE), saying it was not effective in addressing crime.
The relative, who did not want to be identified, called for the Government to implement “more stringent measures” to combat increasing crime across the nation.
The relative said no one imagined their family would become a victim of crime.
“(Sookdeo) was killed during an SoE. So the SoE is clearly not working. The Government needs more stringent measures to deal with crime in the country,” she said.
When Sookdeo, 44, did not show up at their home on Sunday, they became concerned, as he “never missed a Sunday afternoon with us”.
Sookdeo lived alone at Todd’s Road after separating from his wife a year ago.
He had no children.
He was a supervisor at Kallco Ltd and managed an apartment building at Alladi Road, Ragoonanan Road, Longdenville.
The property, which belongs to his brother who lives abroad, was rented to Venezuelan nationals, the relative said.