Man drowns in Guapo

Ramlal Pooran, 37, of Duncan Village, San Fernando, drowned while bathing at a beach near Point Fortin on Thursday evening.

His partly decomposed body was washed ashore on Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of a beach known as ‘Platform Three’ in Cedros. According to a police report, at about 5.30 pm on Thursday, Pooran went with friends to a beach in Guapo Village near Point Fortin when he and his friends were in the water holding on to a piece of styrofoam to stay afloat.

When the water became rough, Pooran went under while his friends managed to get to safety.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Pooran’s sister Vimla said that her brother could not swim and was very cautious about entering the sea. “My brother would not go into an area where he cannot stand in the water because he cannot swim. I have a lot of questions. How did my brother reach so far out in the water?” Vimla asked.

She said her family was only notified on Friday that her brother had drowned. “They had a responsibility to tell us that Pooran was missing and we only found out on Friday evening when we inquired where was Pooran. So, I think something is very sketchy about the story told to police officers,” she said.

Pooran, she said, was looking forward to celebrating his birthday on Friday “He had been speaking about his birthday celebrations for weeks. He was already in the planning stages of buying food and drinks and to get family members together,” the grieving sister said.

Pooran was the father of a 13-year-old boy. An autopsy is expected to be done Forensic Science Centre today. Cedros Police officers are investigating.