"She was a wonderful person, kind and loving and can never be replaced." This is how distraught family and friends of Cindy Rajah described her after her tragic death on Thursday.
Rajah, 46, was shot and killed by hijackers in Brickfield Road on Thursday afternoon. She worked as an advertising executive for the Post newspaper and was out working when the incident took place.
Her brother-in-law, Roy Ramdarain, said he could not believe what he saw when he arrived at the scene. "It was terrible and there was blood everywhere."
He said that a witness had given him an account of what had happened.
"I was told that she had just left a hardware store and got into her car when two men approached her and stood on both sides. The man standing by her door pulled out a firearm and shot her in the back of the head.
"She then apparently pressed on the accelerator and the car moved forward before stopping. The men then ran to the car, threw her out and fled from the scene," he said.
Ramdarain said he could not understand how people could commit such a callous crime.
"She was an innocent woman. They could have just taken the car and left her alone," he said.
Thursday evening, family members, friends and colleagues gathered outside Rajah's Westville home after hearing the news.
Her visibly distraught husband, Nithia, could barely speak as tears rolled down his eyes. Her two children Justin, 20, and Kerry, 19, were battling to come to terms with their mom's sudden death.
Independent Newspapers staff were in shock and some could not hold back their tears when they received news of Rajah's murder. They all described her as a polite and bubbly person who was dedicated to her job.
Advertising manager Dennis Thulukanam said Rajah was the "mother of the team". He said that she was someone he depended on and was more than just a colleague.
Post editor Brijlal Ramguthee said: "Cindy Rajah was a most devoted, dedicated and committed member of the Post advertising team. Her callous death was most traumatic, more so for her family and her colleagues," he said.
Police spokesperson Inspector Rani John said two men had approached Rajah, who was sitting in her car. One of the men had pulled out a firearm and pointed it at her.
"She then screamed but the suspects managed to get into the car and she drove off for 20m. The men then threw her out of the car and allegedly shot her in the back of the head. They then fled with her car," she said.
