Family members of Nirmala Sukhai, the woman who was disocvered dead in her La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home on Friday, are puzzled as to what might have been the motive behind her suspected murder and are hoping that the autopsy will provide some answers as to how she met her end.

Nirmala, 33, was found lying face down on her bed on Friday afternoon by her mother, Savitri Sukhai, who had gone to check on her after she did not see or heard from her for almost two days.

It is suspected that Nirmala was killed sometime between 23:00 hrs on Thursday and Friday afternoon at Lot 35 Factory Dam, La Grange, WBD.

Police said at the time of the discovery she was only clad in a blouse. A grey short pants was found on her bed. It appeared as though it was cut from the back. A knife was also found under her bed.

While it is unclear at this point is if anything is missing, Sunday Stabroek understands that there was no sign of forced entry into the house.

Contacted yesterday, Commander of Region 3, Mahendra Sewnarine told Sunday Stabroek that information revealed that Nirmala was seen drinking at a bar prior to the discovery of her body. As a result, he said investigators were up to yesterday afternoon trying to determine who Nirmala was with at the bar and if she left with anyone.

Nirmala lived alone. Her grandmother passed away three weeks ago and she was staying with her mother at her grandmother’s house in the community.

During an interview with Sunday Stabroek yesterday, Savitri said Nirmala returned to her home on Wednesday. “She went hay like three week now. She went all the time with me. She seh ‘mommy meh frighten’. She seh she nah stay hay after she grandmother died. She going home back,” Savitri said.

Savitri told this newspaper that although she and Nirmala lived apart, she cooked for her everyday. “Everyday I does cook fah she but she nah come fah no food and suh on Thursday,” she said.

Savitri related that she then tried to call Nirmala but got no answer. Upon enquiring, she said a relative told her that she saw Nirmala on Thursday night on the road.

“Normally she does come and put on the light. When I come home Thursday, no light in the house. So now Friday morning when I wake up, I cook and suh and left it and I didn’t see she,” Savitri explained.

Savitri further related that she left and went to work on Friday and returned and she still didn’t see or hear from Nirmala. As a result, she said she decided to go and check on her. “…I sweep out and wash out lil clothes… then I go to see if I see she,” she said.

She said a cousin who lives in the same yard with Nirmala told her that he noticed the back door to Nirmala’s house was open but he didn’t see her.

Apart from the back door, the house’s windows were also open. “…When I go into the house, I see she lay down on the bed. So now I pull she foot, I pulling she and she ain’t respond to me…So I seh like she done gone,” Savitri told this newspaper. “She don’t normally open no window. So I feel so happy that I calling fah she because I see the clothes hang on the line and I see the front window open. She don’t normally open no window,” she explained. A report was made to the police.

According to Savitri, Nirmala never related to her about having any issue with anyone which may have led to her death.

The grieving woman said she is waiting on the post-mortem report to find out how Nirmala met her demise. “We gah wait and see…Like I don’t know,” she said.

The post-mortem examination will be conducted tomorrow. Nirmala was the eldest of two children. She was well-known in the community where she lived.