Man kidnapped in front of neighbourhood watch

According to reports, while driving his white Nissan Almera into his garage at Waterpipe Road, Cane Farm, Tacarigua, at about 8 pm Monday, Prices Supermarket manager Nazim Parasram Maharaj, 27, was snatched and hustled into a black car by two masked men dressed in black. The kidnappers later demanded $.5 million for his release. Minutes before the kidnapping, members of the neighbourhood watch group, which Maharaj had passed on his way in, had separated into two groups to patrol two sides of the community.

"It all happened in a flash, in less than two minutes. By the time we realised what was going on and looked to respond, they were gone," a watch group member said.

According to investigations, Maharaj had just driven through the electronic gate and was awaiting its closure, when the black car slammed into the gate, preventing it from closing. The occupants of the car jumped out and snatched Maharaj.

The group, which makes rounds in the community between 8 pm and 11 pm, responded, but was unable to stop the abduction. Police believe the kidnappers were aware of the movements of the watch group, and knew when to strike.

When Newsday visited the family’s Cane Farm home, a relative confirmed the kidnapping and said Maharaj’s grandmother had to be treated by a doctor, and is on medication and bed rest since the incident.

Maharaj is the nephew of Videya and Robin Maharaj, owners of Prices Supermarket on Eastern Main Road, El Dorado. He is also the nephew of Indira Maharaj, a member of the Tunapuna Greater Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Supermarket Board.

Maharaj is the 25th person kidnapped this year, and he is the sixth person still missing.