While most families are gathering to celebrate during this festive season, Ranjani Devi and her two sons will face yet another Christmas without any answers as to the mysterious death of her husband and their father.

Eight years after her husband, Salesh Chand’s charred remains were found in his burnt-out car at the Fiji Sugar Corporation Lautoka mill yard, Devi has not been able to find closure.

Speaking to FBC News from New Zealand where she currently lives, the widow said the Fiji Police Force should appoint a new team to look into her late husband’s death.

Chand’s burnt remains were found in his company vehicle in the early hours of June 8, 2016 , after police officers on patrol at about 2.45am chanced upon the burning vehicle and discovered his charred body inside.

Then Police Chief of Intelligence and Investigations, ACP Luke Navela said they were treating the case as an alleged murder following the post mortem examination.

Despite some references to chasing new leads and some talk of footage from a service station which allegedly captured Chand on the day he was last seen alive, Devi said there were no new updates.

“At the Lautoka Police Station, they said there was some CCTV footage from a service station but later, police in Suva said there was no footage, I don’t know what’s going on,” she said.

“I’ve really lost hope in the current team of police officers who have been investigating the case as it was transferred from Lautoka to the CID headquarters for reasons best known to them but nothing has happened so far.

“That’s why I want other experienced retired detectives to look into the case or a new team appointed to start investigations from the very beginning.

“The only thing that I’ve heard from police since my husband was murdered is that investigations are continuing, which is their common response.

“It just makes me wonder whether Fiji has capable police detectives or not to solve such serious crimes.”

Chand, who was a senior manager at the Vinod Patel Group in Lautoka, arrived from work on the evening of June 7, 2016 with a man and a woman.

He picked his wife and two sons from their relatives place and they headed to their home in Kashmir, Lautoka.

Devi said it was the first time she had met the two people who came with her late husband that day.

She said after having some grog and alcohol, her husband and the iTaukei man went out at about 1am.

After some time, the iTaukei man returned alone and when she asked him about her husband, he told her that he had gone to Ba.

It wasn’t until later in the day when police officers arrived at their home and told her, that she learned about her husband’s death.

Devi said she was able to identify her husband from the gold chain that he was wearing.

FBC News sought clarification from the Fiji Police Force on any developments in the case.

“The case is still open and we are still investigating,” said Police media liaison officer, Wame Bautolu.