Santa Mathurasingh, 79 Years Old, Murdered for Rs 3,500 - Suspected Killer: "I Bought Cigarettes with Some of the Money"

Santa Mathurasingh, 79, was bound, gagged, and suffocated in her home in Triolet. The suspect, Ravish Kumar Seetul, confessed to the crime and appeared in court on Monday. A sum of Rs 1,000, suspected to be from the robbery, was found in his possession. Meanwhile, the victim's sister remains hospitalized.

Every morning, Santa Mathurasingh opened her door to assist with the family business. However, that Sunday, she never got up. This 79-year-old woman, known for her quiet life, was brutally murdered for just Rs 3,500. During his interrogation, 36-year-old Ravish Kumar Seetul stated, “I used a part of the money to buy cigarettes,” a chilling confession given the heinous nature of the act for such a meager gain.

The horrific crime took place on the night of Saturday, June 21, to Sunday, June 22, 2025, at Queen Elizabeth Avenue, 7e Mille, Triolet, where Santa lived with her older sister, Gyantee Humawtee Ramnarain Seewoopaul, 83. The latter was also assaulted and is still in the hospital.

Ravish Kumar Seetul, nicknamed "Sakoche," was quickly apprehended. On Sunday, following intelligence gathering, detectives from the Divisional Crime Intelligence Unit (DCIU) traced him to Goodlands. He was arrested on Sunday on CEB Road by officers under the command of Superintendent Poinoosawmy. Although the assailant was masked during the intrusion, he was identified through neighborhood surveillance footage.

Confronted with evidence collected by the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), he confessed. He explained that he broke into the two sisters' home intending to rob them but was caught by the residents, leading to a struggle.

Taking advantage of their vulnerability, he restrained both elderly women using twine and duct tape. He then searched the house and made off with Rs 3,500, before covering the two women with a mattress. An autopsy revealed that Santa Mathurasingh died from asphyxia due to suffocation and a broken neck.

The suspect appeared in court on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the Rivière-du-Rempart court, where he was provisionally charged with murder. In the afternoon, he was taken back to the crime scene under heavy police escort for a reconstruction of events. Shortly after his arrest, the Northern Criminal Police searched his home in Goodlands and found Rs 1,000, suspected to be from the robbery.

The tragedy was discovered on Sunday morning when relatives of the two sisters became concerned upon noticing that the front door remained closed, an unusual occurrence since Santa Mathurasingh always opened it for her nephew's business employees each morning.

An alert was raised in the neighborhood. It was a niece of the victim, Artee, who discovered the horror upon entering the house: "I went in. The door was open. I found one of my aunts underneath. The other was covered with a mattress. I managed to touch my aunt. She was already cold. The other was under the mattress. I heard her crying. She was pleading. My stomach turned and I lifted the mattress. We found her still breathing."

In addition to this case, Ravish Seetul has admitted his involvement in another theft: a recently stolen SUV in the Triolet area. The police recovered it on Sunday.

In connection with this investigation, a second individual nicknamed "Pigeon" was also arrested on Sunday by the criminal police. He allegedly met the suspect after the murder of Santa Mathurasingh but denies any involvement. He was allowed to return home.