$1M for South UWI student

FIVE hours after a California businessman discovered his 20-year-old son was missing, a call was made to the family informing them that the businessman’s son was kidnapped and a ransom of $1 million must be paid for his safe release.

Newsday understands the kidnappers of Shane Sawh gave his worried family a three-day deadline to come up with the money. Rumours of an $8 million ransom demand were denied by senior police officers investigating the country’s latest kidnapping. Sawh, a second-year science student at the University of the West Indies, was last seen by his family leaving home around 10 am on Thursday, in his white Honda Civic, en route to UWI. Around 3 pm that same day, Shane’s father Sewsaran Sawh, owner of Taste and Touch Restaurant and Bar, arrived home and saw his son’s car in the yard with the front doors open. Sawh called his son’s name but got no response.

The father made a search of the premises and telephoned relatives and his son’s friends to inquire if they had seen his son. The frightened man reported his son missing to the Couva police. After searching frantically for his son, the businessman received a telephone call around 8 pm Thursday  by a person who claimed to be keeping Shane hostage. The caller, police sources revealed, later demanded $1 million for Shane’s release. When Newsday visited Sawh’s West Boundary Road, Couva home yesterday, a woman who said she was a domestic worker stated that the family did not want to speak to the media “right now.” Apart from his academic studies, Sawh was involved in “Sound Off” competitions against other car owners, to see who had the loudest car stereo system. Officers of the Chaguanas CID as well as Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) detectives are investigating.