By Mark DaCosta- Hemat Kumar Mohamed, the man who admitted to murdering his wife Shavanie Hanoman during a domestic dispute at De Groot Enkline, Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara, has died by suicide while in police custody. He was discovered lifeless in his cell at the Leonora police lock-ups on Friday, June 26, 2026, having apparently used an article of his own clothing to end his life.

Mohamed was arrested the previous day after the body of his 46-year-old wife was recovered from a canal near their residence. Under interrogation, he confessed to stabbing her and pushing her into the waterway following an argument on Wednesday, June 24 — the last day she was seen alive. After his arrest, he was taken to Leonora Cottage Hospital for treatment around 18:00 hours, discharged shortly before midnight, and returned to his cell. The following morning, his son brought food for him; when a police rank called out to him and received no answer, the cell was opened to reveal Mohamed dead.

The death of Hemat Kumar Mohamed in a police cell raises deeply troubling questions about the competence and vigilance of our nation’s law enforcement apparatus. How does a man, detained for one of the most serious crimes imaginable and already under medical observation, manage to take his own life within hours of being returned to custody? What protocols, if any, were in place to monitor a prisoner who had just been discharged from hospital? These are not abstract concerns — they cut to the very heart of whether our police force is equipped to protect even those it has deprived of liberty, let alone the innocent citizens who look to the state for security.