Curfew death

A curfew party ended tragically early morning on Monday September 19, when Mahindra Maharaj fell to his death from the balcony of a luxury multi-million dollar condominium in Moka, Maraval.

Maharaj, 30, was liming with friends at the upscale, gated community known as The Hamlet, at St Andrew’s Wind, St Andrew’s Golf Course Road, Moka.

He had a swim in the plunge pool of the condominium, at about 1.30 am, and went to sit on the ledge of the balcony when he got out of the water. He slipped on the tiles and fell over the balcony, plummeting more than 150 feet to the ground.

Maharaj, the son of Bindra Maharaj who owns BK Hardware in Arima, was taken to the Port-of- Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Maharaj was also the nephew of the former president of the Supermarkets Association, Balliram Maharaj.

An autopsy conducted at the hospital mortuary yesterday revealed Maharaj bled to death when his vena cava vein, which carries de-oxygenated  blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart, ruptured when his body hit the ground.

Bindra said his son had told him  on Sunday that he was going to a meeting with officials from the YUMA Carnival band.

“I did not know where he went. I do not know about his whereabouts generally. I was shocked when I heard the news,” Bindra said of his son, the first of his three children.

“All I was told was that he was at the apartment in Moka in a swimming pool and that he slipped on tiles and fell over several feet from off a balcony. I do not know how often he frequented there, or what. All he said he was going to a meeting about the Carnival band YUMA. I do not really know much about that either.”

Bindra said his son lived with him at their own palatial home at Calvary Hill, Arima. The Maharaj family is well known in the eastern borough.

“I really do not know what he was doing at Moka at that hour. He was an adult so I never really knew about his whereabouts and can’t say much but his death has hit me very hard,” said Bindra.

Due to the state of emergency and the 11 pm to 4 am curfew that is in effect in several communities in Trinidad, including Maraval and Arima, Maharaj would have had to remain overnight Sunday at the condominium with his friends.

The owner of the condominium was not able to be contacted for comment about the incident.

The average cost of a unit at The Hamlet is $6.5 million.

Maharaj’s death is being investigated by Cpl John of the Maraval Police Station .