A year after Couva siblings' murder, parents honour them with songs

Exactly a year ago on Friday last week, Ann Chitbahal said, her world came crashing down when men stormed into her family’s Couva home and gunned down her two adult children.

Since the double tragedy, the 48-year-old mother said her life has become filled mainly with sorrow.

She lost her 23-year-old daughter, Vishanie, and son Vishal, 25, in the blink of an eye. Neither was married nor had any children.

“(Friday was) a very, very sad day for us,” said the soft-spoken Chitbahal, on the verge of crying.

Chitbahal and her husband Tony, 57, who has diabetes, have no other children. Vishanie and Vishal lived with them in a modest wooden house at Windsor Park.

The grieving parents spent part of the day on Friday listening to an East Indian radio station. The couple paid for a segment dedicated to their murdered children.

“We paid for the station to play songs they would have normally listened to,” Chitbahal said.

The segment included bhajans as well as songs in English and Hindi.

Though the anniversary of the brother and sister's death was on Friday, Chitbahal said according to the Hindu calendar, the prayer service to commemorate them is scheduled for May 2, from 9 am.

“We have to keep it for them so that their souls would go where they have to go,” she said.Central Division and Homicide Bureau Region III police are reportedly still investigating, but have not arrested anyone or determined a motive.

“We do not have any updates on these murders," Chitbahal said. "We do not know who to turn to.”

At 5.30 am on April 23, 2020, two gunmen kicked down the front door and went into the house. Chitbahal was cooking food for the family. One of the gunmen pushed her to the floor.

Vishanie came running to help her and was shot.

The gunshot woke up Vishal. He came out of his bedroom, and he too was shot.

Vishanie died immediately. Her brother died minutes later at the Couva health facility.