BELIZE CITY, Mon. July 17, 2017–A construction worker was arraigned and remanded to the Belize Central Prison this morning on a charge of murder in connection with the death by strangulation of a Bangladeshi businessman who was found naked and tied up in his bed on Saturday, July 1.
Juan Roberto Choc, 23, a construction worker of Baymen Avenue, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, who arraigned him on a charge of murder.

Magistrate Fraser explained to Choc that for a charge of murder, he would not be able to get bail, but periodically he would be brought to court, and at those times, if he encounters problems while in prison, he could use the opportunity to convey his concerns to the court.

Having established the ground rules, Magistrate Fraser remanded Choc until his next court date on September 19.

Abdush Salam, 29, who had been living in Belize for over four years, was found dead in his bed around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, by another Bangladeshi businessman with whom he shared the upper flat of a residence at 4 Orange Street.

Salam was found naked, lying face down with his hands tied behind his back.

At the time his body was discovered, Crime Investigation Branch police were not able to point to a specific motive for the killing.

Other Bangladeshi business associates of Salam with whom Amandala spoke declined to comment on whether or not Salam’s demise resulted from a crime of passion, as was aired in the media.

A post-mortem exam on Salam’s body confirmed that he died from manual strangulation.