‘PH’ driver locked in trunk of crashed car

ARMED policemen on guard duty at a Returning Office in Preysal may very well have saved the life of a driver after two bandits, who had abducted the man and tied him in the trunk of his own car, crashed the vehicle and ran off, leaving him there. The men panicked after seeing police on Wednesday night.

When the officers went to search the crash car, they heard muffled sounds coming from the trunk. When they opened the trunk, they found Indar Gokool tied up and lying inside. Gokool, 45, of Santa Clara, Preysal Village, told investigators that around 6.45 pm on Wednesday, he picked up two men in Couva who asked to be taken to a certain area in Preysal. One of the men sat in the front seat while the other sat in the back. A short time later, the front seat passenger placed a gun to Gokool’s head and ordered him to “pass everything.” The frightened man handed over $240 to the bandit who ordered him to pull to the side of the road. Gokool was tied up and forced into the trunk of the his car by the bandits, who re-entered the vehicle and drove off.

On reaching Market Street, the bandits spotted armed policemen standing guard at a building used as a Returning Office during Monday’s Local Government Elections. The bandits panicked, thinking the police had gotten a report on the robbery, and in their haste to escape, they crashed the car into a gate. The bandits alighted from the vehicle and ran off. The officers gave chase, but could not catch up with the bandits. When they returned to the crashed car, they heard muffled noises coming from the trunk. They later found Gokool tied up in the trunk. The officers took the man to the Chaguanas Health Centre where he was treated for minor cuts and bruises and discharged.

A report was made to the Couva police and a team of officers led by Sgt Peter Burke and including Cpl Noel Corbette and others visited the scene and carried out an unsuccessful mobile search of the area for the two bandits. Up to late yesterday, no arrests had been made and Cpl Corbette is continuing investigations.