Nonchalant about the dangers of crime, taxi driver Vishnu Roopnarine worked the graveyard shift for five years hoping to earn enough money to complete his new home and to give his only daughter, Chelsea, a sound education.
But his efforts came to nought when he was robbed of his car, killed and dumped on a riverbank off Ramlal Trace, Cunupia.
The body, which bore gunshot wounds, was discovered around 4 pm on Friday, but police believe that Roopnarine, 47, was killed sometime between 1 am to 5 am. His Nissan Almera has not been recovered.
While his family wait for the results of an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow, police are doing ballistic testing on the spent shells discovered at the scene of the crime.
During an interview at the family’s Calcutta No 1 home in Freeport, Roopnarine’s wife, Nandrani, said she was finding it difficult to believe that Roopnarine had died.
“This doesn’t feel real. We were watching Ian Alleyne’s show and we saw the body,” she recalled.
Reminiscing about her last moments with her husband, Nandrani said he left home around 1 am on Friday to collect pies from a bakery in Port-of-Spain, which he usually sold in Carapichaima to supplement his taxi driver’s income.
“He’s been doing this for five years. Every morning, he would leave home at 1 am, pick up pies in Port-of-Spain, run a few trips before returning to Carapichaima and I would help him sell the pies,” Nandrani said. However, when Roopnarine failed to return home around 6 am, she grew worried.
“I called one of his regular customers whom he picks up at 3 am, but the person said he didn’t show up and it was then I realized something was wrong,” Nandrani said. Around 10 am, she went to the police and reported him missing.
“I tried calling his phone but it rang out. I went to family and friends. I checked the hospital to see if he was there and we never found him,” Nandrani said.
The couple has two children—Vijay, 20, and Chelsea, five. Nandrani said they were working towards completing construction of their home and Chelsea was expected to start primary school in September.
Nandrani said this was what motivated Roopnarine to work hard despite the dangers of crime.
‘I used to tell him it dangerous but he was brave and fearless,” Nandrani said. Describing her husband as a man without faults, Nandrani said she did not know how to come to terms with his death.
Police said they believe robbery was the motive behind the murder. Officers of the Cunupia CID, Homicide Region III and Central Division Task Force are continuing investigations.
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