IT is a case that created a lot of interest more than four decades ago.
At first, it was seen as a case of abduction but as days progressed, it turned out to be something else.
This particular case has been talked about a lot by some people, as a school teacher had disappeared and she was later found dead.
With some suggestions from old friends to take a look back into the teacher’s murder, I did not have to go far but The Fiji Times library to look for information.
Today, we bring you a flashback into the chain of events in relation to the disappearance of Taveuni schoolteacher Evelyn Nair, the discovery of her body in Suva and police.
By AVINESH GOPAL
EVELYN Nair was a schoolteacher at Niusawa Methodist School on Taveuni when she came to Suva for a break.
It was about 7pm on May 9, 1972 (Tuesday) when she went for a walk along Helsen St in Suva with her aunt.
While walking, the 20-year-old teacher and her aunt were bundled into a car.
On May 13, 1972, her aunt Edwina Subramani told this newspaper that a car stopped near them and two men got off, punched them in the stomach and pushed them inside the car.
Ms Subramani said she was forced into the front seat and her niece (Evelyn) was pushed into the back seat.
She managed to escape and her screams were heard by priests living nearby and one of them chased the abductors in his car but they escaped with Evelyn in the car.
On May 15, we reported that Evelyn’s parents had offered a $100 reward for information that could lead to her whereabouts.
As the search for the missing teacher intensified, police offered a $1000 reward for information regarding Ms Nair’s disappearance.
On May 19, we reported about the reward and that the only clue in the search for the missing teacher were some clothes found in Tailevu that belonged to her.
It was reported on May 25 that a 25-year-old motor mechanic appeared in court to face abduction charges in relation to the disappearance of Ms Nair.
The man was produced in court as police extended their search for the missing teacher across Viti Levu.
On May 25, we reported that Ms Nair’s parents said they had been receiving letters of encouragement and well-wishers had come forward to offer their help.
However, on the same day, police found the body of a young woman half-submerged in swampland at Naboro and it was suspected to be Ms Nair’s.
The then Commissioner of Police Roy Henry had told this newspaper on May 26 that the body was decomposed and a post-mortem examination would be held to establish the cause of death.
Mr Henry had also said a second person had been arrested in connection with the abduction of the schoolteacher.
On May 30, we reported that two men had been produced in Suva court the day earlier charged with the murder of the schoolteacher.
It was reported that hundreds of people packed the court premises and blocked the Government Buildings corridor when the duo appeared in court.
Police also had to keep the crowd under control as the two men were being taken from the cell to a police van.
The two accused persons went on trial in the Supreme Court in Suva in September 1972 and considering the hype surrounding the case, we ran the daily court proceedings mostly on the front page.
On October 21, we reported that the three assessors in the Evelyn Nair murder trial returned a unanimous opinion of guilty against the two accused persons.
It was also reported that Justice Clifford Grant recalled the results of the post-mortem examination. “The throat had been cut from ear to ear with a sharp instrument, such as a penknife or dagger, completely severing the windpipe and causing death within minutes,” he was reported saying.
“There was also a stab wound to the right side of the chest which had fractured a rib and penetrated into the chest cavity, and a less serious one on the right side of the lower abdomen.”
Justice Grant was also reported saying that the body was identified as Ms Nair’s after three doctors examined the teeth and Ms Nair’s father saw the head, hair and earring on one of the ears.
On October 24, 1972, we reported that the two accused persons were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court for Ms Nair’s murder.
“This was a dreadful crime, revealing from start to finish a calculated, cold-blooded course of brutal inhuman behaviour on the part of the accused and demonstrating that they are an intolerable menace to society and not fit ever to be at large,” said Justice Grant while sentencing the duo.
“While murder can never be condoned, there are cases in which mitigating features are present. That is not so here.
“The evidence leads irresistibly to the conclusion that — and allows of no other reasonable hypothesis than that — it was the accused acting in concert and abetting each other who murdered Evelyn Nair on the night of May 9.”
Justice Grant also commended the police officers involved in investigations, in particular the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Rudra Dutt Mishra.
It was reported the trial was held for 26 days.
After being sentenced, the two men filed an appeal against their conviction and sentence but it was dismissed by the Fiji Court of Appeal, as reported on November 9, 1973.
The two men were 25 years old at that time and their whereabouts right now are not known — whether they are dead or still alive.
For those from that time who are still alive, the case would be deep down in their memories, as it was one of the most gruesome murders then.
