They couldn’t imagine he was a victim of a large murder-for-hire scheme in which Guyanese immigrants were killed for insurance proceeds.

“My mother cried for months and months and months because that was her biggest son,” Jasmine Seejattan, the victim’s sister, said in her South Jamaica home Thursday.

The father of two, known as “Hilton” to friends and relatives, turned into a drifter after separating from his wife, supporting a drinking habit with doing odd mechanic jobs.

His death was attributed to alcohol and drugs and no one suspected anything more heinous until June, when investigators were tipped off that two Guyanese men were behind murder-for-hire insurance scheme.

Soon after, the victim’s nine siblings and his adult son and daughter learned there was more to Somaipersaud’s death.

“Right now, everybody is inflamed,” Seejattan said. “Now we know the truth of the story how he died, now the kids can know how their father died.”

He is one of two victims, authorities said, and was allegedly killed by Ronald Mallay, 57, and insurance salesman Richard James, as part of the scheme that investigators say could involve several other insured Guyanese immigrants who died under suspicious circumstances.

While James was known as an insurance salesman along his Liberty Avenue office, he was far more popular as host of a weekly cable program featuring Indian music and dance.

His popularity along the avenue made it hard for some to believe he could be responsible.

“Me and him was a little close,” said Patrick Ramlall, 42, who advertises his bottled water company on James’ cable program. “It was something that surprised me.”

Ramlall, also a Guyanese immigrant, said he regularly chatted with James and was interviewed by investigators two weeks ago.

“He used to come to my office but whatever he did in his personal life, I don’t know,” Ramlall said.

The deadly scheme became public Tuesday after Mallay and James were charged with murder. Both are being held in a Brooklyn jail.

During a bail hearing in Brooklyn federal court Friday, Mallay appeared for a brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate-Judge Joan Azrack.

Defense attorney Richard Rosenkranz of Brooklyn said Mallay’s family was attempting to come up with property to secure bail.

After Azrack adjourned the case until Wednesday, some of Mallay’s relatives in the courtroom sobbed openly.

Outside court, Rosenkranz said he expected a bail package of about $500,000 in real estate equity can be put together for the next hearing.

He said that Mallay maintains that he is not guilty and is looking forward to fighting the case in court.

The investigation, which started with a tip to James’ employer, MetLife, is ongoing and federal authorities are looking into several other suspicious deaths of people who were insured by James.

Mallay’s attorney also said Friday that federal investigators were relying on two informants, whom he believes are brothers, who have drug charges and “have reason to implicate anyone to get themselves off the hook.”

One source said that at least four federal grand jury subpoenas have been served on people in the Guyanese community.

Somaipersaud’s death in 1998 was attributed to alcohol and drugs. However, authorities say a confidential informant told them Mallay gave him $5,000 to kill “a drunk” in the park, according to court complaint.

After the informant refused to participate in the killing and returned the money, the complaint said, he learned Somaipersaud was found dead weeks later.

Authorities said James sold at least two insurance policies on Somaipersaud’s life and received some of the proceeds.

The duo is also accused of killing another man in Port Mourant, Guyana for insurance proceeds. The informat on that case said he was paid $11,000 by Mallay to carry out the murder but he too backed out.