1 dead, 4 hospitalised after hunters suspected poisoned

One hunter is dead and four others left hospitalised after they were believed to have been poisoned while at a camp in Ecclesville, Rio Claro on Saturday night.

Police said Vishnu Dipchan, 65, went to a hunting camp about four miles into the Cushe forest, off Legendre Road, Ecclesville, when around 7.30 pm he, Rajkumar Baksh, 42, Basdeo Rambharose, 58, Jaggernath Ramnath, 66 and Arjoon Persad, 40, began to feel nauseous and started vomiting after drinking coffee.

Other members of the hunting party contacted relatives, who ventured into the bush to bring back the ill men. They were taken to the Rio Claro Health Facility, where Dipchan was pronounced dead around 11.57 pm after attempts to resuscitate him failed.

Baksh, Rambharose, Ramnath and Persad were transferred to the Sangre Grande Hospital.

The other members of the hunting party were treated and discharged from the Rio Claro Health Facility after observation.

A member of the extraction team collected and handed over to police samples of the coffee, water, and sugar.

Dipchand's daughter, who wished to remain unnamed, told Newsday she was still piecing together what occurred. However, she said she was shocked to hear he had died and was still coming to terms with it.

She said her father always loved hunting, sometimes going every week.

"This is a very serious thing. It has an impact on the community down there.

"That is a different level of maliciousness and evil I would have to say if it's that they were poisoned."

Hunters' Search and Rescue Team head Vallence Rambharat said the incident has left the hunting community in shock.

"I spoke to three senior hunters this morning – these are guys in their eighties, and as far as their memory could serve...something like this has never occurred.

"It has come to a shock to us and we, the hunters, are saying...this cannot be tolerated in the hunting community."

He said it was fortunate that all nine men had not died.

While police are continuing investigations, Rambharat, who visited the community on Sunday morning, said the word on the ground is that the hunters may have been targeted because they were aware of illegal activities occurring in the area.

"The authorities really has to pursue what really is the motive behind this and find the perpetrator. The person who did this, or persons – they're monsters."

Rambharat said hunters would often leave supplies such as coffee, drinking water, sugar and salt at their hunting camps for any other hunters who might pass through Now, he said, they are going to have to re-evaluate this practice.

The autopsy on Dipchand's body is scheduled for December 16, after which the family will host the funeral.