Corentyne shooting: Fiancé back in custody, female arrested

death of 32-year-old Ashmin Mahadeo of Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice, the fiancé, Neil Madramootoo, an engineer attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, is now back in the custody of the Major Crimes Unit and according to the Regional Commander, Shivpersaud Bacchus, efforts are being made to have him transported to Region Six.

The Police Commander also confirmed that a female was arrested but he did not want to provide details surrounding her arrest. The News Room was however informed that the female allegedly attempted to get Ashmin to change her statement identifying Madramootoo as the shooter.

Ashmin was shot in the neck on October 1, 2023, at her home; she succumbed to her injuries at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital at approximately 19:15 hrs on Monday, November 13.

Madramootoo was arrested and charged with the attempted murder and was granted bail by Magistrate Peter Hugh in the sum of $500,000.

The victim, in a video statement to the police from her hospital bed in October, identified Madramootoo as the shooter.

Her brother, Naresh Mahadeo, told the News Room that while she was at the Georgetown Public Hospital, two women visited her on November 9 without the knowledge or permission of the family.

“Right now they have someone in custody who is claiming to be Ashmin’s friend, they went and visited her without any family member’s permission, so she is in custody presently because up to last night, she was there at the hospital (New Amsterdam) with a paper saying is not Neil shoot her because they trying to get [Ashmin’s] fingerprint on the paper saying is not Neil shoot her,” the brother told the News Room.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination was conducted on Ashmin’s body on Tuesday by Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan at the Bailey’s Funeral Home, West Coast Berbice.

However, in this case, the pathologist did not provide the cause of death as is customary. Instead, he allegedly told investigators that he would need to see Ashmin ‘s hospital records and would then provide the cause of death within 24 hours.

Naresh has since expressed concern over this.

“Nehaul Singh was supposed to do the post-mortem today and when we went there we saw Bridgemohan. He told me to call him tomorrow for the results, and that he needs the file from New Amsterdam to finish with the post-mortem result and I am not satisfied with that.

“He was supposed to give me the result at the same time. You are not supposed to wait till the next day, you are supposed to put what you saw as the cause of death.”

The brother wants a second autopsy.

“I am requesting a next PM and get the best result because I am not satisfied with this one.”

At the time of the shooting, the couple was packing items in Madramootoo’s company vehicle to be taken to a location in Port Mourant where their bridal shower/reception was expected to take place.

The couple’s wedding was due to take place last month. The brother said they were awakened by the gunshot at about 07:30 hrs.

He said when he initially heard the explosion, he heard Ashmin’s fiancé in the house shouting that somebody shot her, but when the rest of the family ran out, the fiancé was still in the house.

The family rushed the injured woman to the Port Mourant Hospital, and when they returned home, the Police visited and searched the house. The ceiling had an opening, and that is where the Police found a gun. They also found a magazine, and three live rounds.

The fiancé had claimed that someone shot her outside the house and ran away.