Police following several leads
POLICE are said to be pursuing ‘several leads’ following the shocking discovery early yesterday morning of a headless body believed to be that of businessman Mohamed Farouk Kalamadeen.

Hours after the discovery of the body at Cowan Street, Kingston, relatives of the businessman paid for his “death announcement” to be placed in the newspapers and started to make funeral arrangements – a clear sign that they had accepted that the body found was that of Kalamadeen.

However, Ms. Bibi Shadick, a relative, said that DNA samples of the body had been taken to Eureka labs in the city for confirmation of the identity of the body. A post mortem is due to be conducted tomorrow morning, she said in an invited comment.

While the body has been found, mystery now surrounds what has happened to Kalamadeen’s head, as it was not found where his body was.

The body – found a stone’s throw away from the headquarters of the Guyana Police Force - was reportedly clad with the same blue garments and boots Kalamadeen was wearing when he went missing on April 2, 2008.

Kalamadeen, 54, left his home at Barrington Apartment, D’Aguiar Park, East Bank Demerara, at around 06:00 h on April 2, 2008 to go on his daily jog but was never seen or heard from again.

The businessman, who once helped run the popular Kalamadeen’s Supermarket in Alberttown, Georgetown, had left Guyana for the United States but returned and established a vehicle repair outlet, Jiffi Lubes, at Light Street and North Road in the city.

The Police were summoned at the site of the daybreak discovery of the body and soon a large, curious crowd gathered.

It is believed that the businessman was killed elsewhere and his remains dumped at the spot during the early hours of the yesterday morning, minus its head.

The man’s family maintained that he did not have any problems with anyone as far as they were aware. They said there had been no demand for a ransom.

Kalamadeen is survived by his wife Nariman, children Irfaan and Faraz.

A funeral service, according to Muslim rites, has been set for tomorrow at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO), Woolford Avenue, Georgetown.

Meanwhile, the police, in a brief statement last night, said: “At about 06:00 h today (yesterday) the headless body of a man was found on Cowan Street, Kingston. The body was clad in a red jersey and black pants and was barefooted.

By its general appearance, the body was later identified to be that of Farouk Kalamadeen by his son Irfan Kalamadeen. Farouk Kalamadeen had been reported missing on Wednesday, April 02, 2008, after he had left for his morning exercise and had not returned home.

Investigations are in progress.”