As relatives were bidding farewell to Gasparillo businessman Anand Maharaj yesterday, a 29-year-old man was appearing before a magistrate for his murder.
Leon Apping, a commercial driver of Rawlins Avenue, San Fabien Road, Gasparillo, appeared virtually before San Fernando Senior Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan. He was charged by Cpl Bynoe of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region 3 on Thursday, based on the advice of Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul.
Maharaj, 60, left his Jeffers Lane, Charles Street home around 1 pm last Saturday to deliver a rental car, a silver Nissan Note, to a client.
He had also arranged to purchase US currency from the client.
When Maharaj, owner of Triple-A Auto Supplies, did not return home and calls to his cell phone went answered, his wife made a report to the Gasparillo police at around 7 pm. Officers conducted enquiries and were able to track the GPS on the vehicle and traced the businessman’s cell phone to a location at San Fabien Road.
Police went to the location, where they saw a silver Nissan Note parked in the yard and they interviewed the client. Based on further information received, at around 10.30 pm the officers returned to the home where a search warrant was executed for a phone belonging to the businessman. They discovered Maharaj’s body inside the storage compartment of a couch in the living room of the apartment. An autopsy revealed that he died from asphyxia due to blockage of the airway.
Apping was represented by attorney Alexia Dhooki while the state was represented by police prosecutor Raegan Ramanan. The matter was adjourned to May 21.
