Sunken canoe, brambles found in trench
By Wendella Davidson
RELATIVES frantically searching for a missing father and son after they heard men were beating him in a lonely backdam (backland), yesterday said they found his canoe and brambles he had cut sunk in a trench. The news came as police continued investigations into the brutal slaying of the father and son whose burnt bones cops suspect they found in the backdam at Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara late Monday afternoon. Relatives of the murdered two said they were earlier told that "people were beating the man" in the lonely spot. James Sanichar, 36, called `Black James' and his six-year-old son, Afraz, left their little wooden Cane Grove home Saturday to gather brambles used as support for bora and other climbing kitchen garden plants but did not return. His wife reported him missing to the police and after an intensive search, police said they Monday afternoon found the charred human bones they believe are those of the father and son. Sanichar's father-in-law, Akbar Khan, called `Wallie', yesterday said the message that "people were beating the man in the backdam" was received by Sanichar's wife, Bibi Sharah Azad Khan, also known as `Jenny', Saturday afternoon. The father of five, from Haslington, East Coast Demerara, had left with his second son for the Karbees backdam, about 15 miles from the main road in Cane Grove. The father-in-law said he had gone to cut `bramble' sticks which he sold to be used as support for bora vines. The mother-in-law Bibi Khan said she saw Sanichar at his home a stone's throw away Saturday morning, with the children Talash, eight years; Afraz; Yasmin, three; Ajay, two and Vijay, four months. She recalled that he left later in the day in a canoe with Afraz for the backdam. Later that day, a man told the wife that some people (names given) were beating him up. Bibi Khan said `Jenny' upon receiving the news went to the police station where she made a report, then left with a brother and a neighbour's son in search of her husband and son. According to Bibi Khan, her daughter said that when they reached an area, some 12 miles away, where her husband was said to have had the confrontation with the men, they did not see them. However, they noticed that the "spot" was disturbed and immediately began a frantic search and found the canoe sunk in the trench. They later also found inside the trench the bundles of bramble which Sanichar had cut. Bibi Khan said that as night fell, her daughter and the two lads left the backdam and she (the wife) returned to the police station where another report was made, this time that her husband and son were missing. She said she learnt that two men gave themselves up at the Mahaica Police Station, and it was one of them who took the cops to a spot where the burnt bones were found Monday afternoon. Police said the bodies were burnt. They found the bones at about 16:00 hrs (4 p.m.) Monday and three men have been arrested.
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