Couva pensioner buried 2 days after her murder

MURDERED pensioner Aamina Mohammed, 68, who was brutally killed during a home invasion on December 14, has been buried.

The funeral took place under Muslim rites at her Nancy Street, Lisas Gardens, Couva home on December 16.

Mohammed was in the kitchen taking out dinner for her husband Nizam, 74, who was watching the nightly news when, around 7 pm on December 14, two masked men broke into the house. They were wearing dark clothing and wore a respirator and bandana respectively to hide their faces.

Using a knife from the kitchen, they corralled Mohammed and her husband into the living room where, according to their son Ahmad, they made makeshift binding from sheets covering the couches to tie them up before turning off the lights. The men demanded money and jewellery. Mohammed agreed and took them into the bedroom. Nizam saw the men run out shortly after and did not get a response when he called out to Mohammed.

Ahmad said his father was able to free himself and found Mohammed unresponsive on their bed, bleeding from the neck.

Ahmad, who was near Grand Bazaar at the time, said that's when his father called him.

When he arrived home police were already there. He said they put his mother in a police vehicle and took her to the Couva Health Facility, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Ahmad said the family was still trying to figure out why, despite giving the attackers what they demanded, Mohammed was killed. He said his mother was a gentle, passive woman, and it was unlikely she would have tried to fight off or resisted the bandits.

In a release on December 15, Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation chairman Ryan Rampersad called on the Police Commissioner and National Security Minister to address safety concerns in the municipality and country.

"The residents of Couva and most definitely all of Trinidad and Tobago deserve to feel safe in their homes, and the authorities must take immediate steps to prevent further incidents."