GEORGETOWN, Guyana--The case of the poisoning of a Mahaica family took an interesting twist Saturday with police focusing their attention on a family member, who has reportedly claimed responsibility.
Kaieteur News understands that a 14-year-old girl has confessed to lacing a pot of hassar (fish) curry with a potentially deadly dose of monocrotophos.
Police have confirmed that they are questioning a teenage relative who is now in custody at the Cove and John Police Station.
On Thursday last, five family members were rushed to the Mahaicony Hospital after they had eaten hassar curry. They were then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where two are still critical and are in the Incentive Care and the High-Dependency-Units.
Critical are Chaitram Dharamdat, 17, and his father Sukdeo, 48, while Nandranie Sukdeo, 38, and her two daughters, Hemwanttie, 17, and Muneshwari, 13, were intubated in the Female Surgical Ward.
Dharamdat's eldest son, Eshwardat, 19, who was not at home when his family ate the hassar curry, told this publication that Thursday's poisoning of his family was not the first but was indeed, the worst.
Eshwardat explained that last year August, someone poisoned his father's food and a report was made at the Mahaica Station. That matter came to an end without any arrests.
He added that earlier last week someone again poisoned his father's food and they thought it was their neighbours since they had some "personal problems". They believed that the source of the poison was the vegetables grown in the yard.
"Although, he was poisoned two times nothing happened but now he is in hospital," the eldest son explained.
While relatives believed the act of poisoning was done by neighbours, Eshwardat said that he had always suspected his younger sister who was involved in a relationship with a 19-year-old boy.
"Everybody who went home eat the food but she (didn't) eat it," the brother stated.
Kaieteur News understands that the teenager's intimate relationship with the 19-year-old had angered her family and moves were made to stop her from attending school.
According to the teenager's aunt, Sherly, the teen had moved out from her parent's home after they had stopped her from going to school and had lived by her for at least five months.
"I recently put her out because I hear a day she did take home the boy by me when I went out," the aunt stated.
The teen eventually moved back home and according to the brother, she had continuously tried to harm his father.
"I believe is dah same boy tell she wah fah do," the brother lamented.
While relatives Saturday gathered at the GPHC, the teenager, however explained to the police that after her mother had finished cooking the hassar curry, she laced the curry with her father's poison which he use to control pests.
Up to press time the teen's mother kept refuting reports that her daughter had poisoned them. (Kaieteur News)
