Murder victim's family: 'Killer not a stranger'

THE unusual behaviour of three dogs belonging to 72-year-old Penal pensioner Harrilal "Lallbull" Jagroop has led relatives to believe his killer may not be a stranger.

The dogs are normally aggressive and were very protective of Jagroop, who had rented a house at Batichiya Trace, Penal, for the past three years.

A relative said, "It seemed the killer was someone who he knew, because the dogs did not make a sound. Even when we visit him, the dogs would bark and make lots of noises. It was after residents heard the gunshots, they found out about the incident."

Jagroop and his 21-year-old daughter Joyce Rahaman were shot in the house last Thursday at about 6.45 pm.

Rahaman’s 14-month-old son was uninjured. She is the mother of three and works as a waitress.

Police said the pensioner was shot in the gallery and Rahaman in a bedroom where she was with her son. She crawled to the front of the house near the road, where a neighbour found her unconscious and bleeding. The child was nearby, smeared with her blood.

A villager took the child and alerted relatives elsewhere in Penal about the shooting.

Both father and daughter were taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, where Jagroop died on Saturday. Up to press time, Rahaman was in the intensive care unit.

One of Jagroop’s sons, Dave Surujbally, told Newsday, "In a case like this, my father would have tried to defend himself."

The family did not know why anyone would want to kill Jagroop, the father of 16.

"He never interfered with anyone and used to sell market items in front of the house.

"We don’t know how it happened because my father and sister were unconscious when we went to the scene," he said. "I cannot say who the killer is, because I was not there."

Surujbally said about two months ago, Rahaman broke off an abusive relationship and went to live with Jagroop. Her two other children are staying with other relatives.

He is confident Rahaman will recover and reveal what happened.

"Joyce is looking good. She will get better and tell us what happened."

Relatives were making funeral arrangements for Jagroop.

Penal police and officers from the Homicide Bureau Region III are investigating.