RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
One month after his brother was murdered in Trinidad, Indian national Ganesh Iyer is questioning whether the police is doing enough to arrest his brother's killer.
In an interview with CNC3, Iyer said he felt helpless and this was why he decided to write to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Police Commissioner Gary Griffith earlier this week.
Iyer, who lives in Singapore said he was confused as to why the T&T police took two weeks to unlock his brother’s phone.
“ I feel helpless that police could not unlock his phone two weeks after his death. In such cases, time is of the essence. I had to open the phone by overriding the passcode. This makes me question whether there is adequate crime-fighting technology, digital technology to sort out these basics,” Iyer said.
He added, “ I believe this is a kind of hit job. Someone had been tracking him for days.”
Iyer also questioned whether the police had checked the surveillance cameras installed at the homes of residents of Purcelle Street, Vistabella where his brother Shrikanath “Shri” Iyer was gunned down on November 10 while parking his Subaru Legacy.
Iyer said the police kept his brother’s phone for a month along with his bankcards.
“We believe this was someone who knew him. I cannot say for sure but maybe this was related to his sincerity and zest for his work. Maybe it is someone who knew his routine. I don’t know if this was explored but maybe it was someone who lost his job because of COVID and was angry. I do not know,” Iyer said.
He noted that unless criminals are penalized, crime will get worse.
“What is the future of the children who are going to be born in Trinidad because of this crime situation? My humble appeal is that it is the moral duty of the Prime Minister to provide a safe crime-free atmosphere. The authorities need crime surveillance, crime detection mechanisms so that criminals will have a fear of being caught. It seems anyone can come with impunity and kill the person without fear of retribution,” Iyer said.
He revealed that his parents were “crying day in and day out.”
Iyer said they were raised in a spiritual environment where they were taught values of honesty and integrity.
Saying his brother lived by these principles, Iyer said Shrikanath could have lived in other parts of the world like Canada or Singapore but he chose Trinidad because of his love for the people.
Overtime he said Shrikanath started speaking with a Trini accent, he developed a great love for Trinbago's culture and cuisine and loved chutney and soca music.
He revealed that his brother got involved in local charities and had plans to help construct toilets for female joggers at the Palmiste Park.
Saying he did not want his brother’s murder to be just another statistic, Iyer called on the Commissioner and the Prime Minister to look into the murder.
He said even if he does not get a response from both parties, he was still hopeful that the perpetrator(s) will be arrested and charged.
Police said no one has yet been held for Shrikanath’s murder and that the case was still under investigation.