Heartbreak after Valentine’s Day murder

Last Sunday was a special day for many couples throughout the world, including locally, as they spent the day pampering each other, in ways more than on any other day, in celebration of Valentine’s Day. However, for a local wife and daughter, the romantic plans she had for her husband on that day were all shattered, when the day turned out to be the worst nightmare she had ever experienced and was certainly not a day she would ever want to remember.
Shanell Ramdas (31), of West Park the daughter of the late Veerin Ramden (54), told the Laudium Sun, “I was at home asleep in the early hours of Sunday morning (February 14) when my aunty Charmaine Naidoo, who lives on Umber Street, (Laudium) called me at around 2:30am to give me the shocking news of my dad’s murder. However, I was fast asleep so I did not take the call. Eventually, my cousin’s wife Barshnie Pillay, of Lotus Gardens, managed to get hold of me, at around 3:30am, to give me the horrific news. This was the saddest day of my life. To think that whilst others were going to celebrate the day with flowers for romance, we were receiving flowers due to his untimely death.” Charmaine Naidoo, sister of Veerin, told the Laudium Sun, “At around 2:20am in the early morning of Sunday, we were sleeping when my cousin Ravin, who was hysterical, woke my husband and I up and told us to come quickly, as we needed to go with him to his house. Without explaining further, he told us to hurry up, so we rushed out in our pyjamas. In the car, Ravin kept on saying that we should pray that we could save Veerin. When we reached the house, I was shocked to find my brother (Veerin Ramden), lying on the ground with blood all over on the floor. Upon looking closer I realized that the blood was pouring from his head, and that is when Ravin told us that Veerin was shot by Rajesh. I became hysterical and started screaming, asking why and why to my brother, but he did not respond. All he said was when he went out he did not see the actual shooting. I had to sit down for a few minutes as I felt dizzy after seeing my brother with all the blood and was given water to drink by my husband. After a while I and my husband went to the police station, to report the matter. My brother was declared dead on the scene.”
The clearly distraught daughter, Shanell, added, “My uncle Ravin, said, that he, my father and the cousin of my father Rajesh Ramdin, were all together at the house of Ravin on Primrose Street. But at the time of the shooting, Ravin went outside, to use his asthma pump. Whilst outside, he heard a gunshot. That’s when he ran into the house and found my father lying on the floor with his head bleeding and Rajesh having a gun in his hand and wanting to shoot him too. My uncle said, he pushed Rajesh and managed to escape. Since Sunday we have not heard from Rajesh, who is the main suspect in this case. My father, had always visited Rajesh who was like a brother to him. We want the law to take its course.”
The Laudium Sun tried to contact Rajesh on Monday 15th for comment, but without avail. However on Tuesday 16th, Rajesh responded by sending an SMS to the Laudium Sun which read, “Good afternoon, I am currently in Newlock Correctional Services, can you please contact my attorney Mr Kiniel Muthray and Associates, Kind Regards Mr R.Ramdin.”
Flamboyant attorney, Kiniel Muthray, representing Rajesh, told the Laudium Sun “Rajesh Ramdin, appeared in court today, (Wednesday 17th) and was released on bail of R1000. He will appear again on March 9th.”
Sergeant Chokoe, of the Laudium SAPS said, “Police in Laudium are investigating a case of murder that occurred in the early hours of last Sunday, 2021-02-14 at Primrose Street in Laudium. It is alleged that both the deceased and the suspect were sitting together in the house. In the process the deceased in his fifties was shot and wounded on the upper body and the suspect fled the scene. The motive behind the killing is currently unknown. The suspect gave himself up.”