Couple murdered by woman’s kidnappers

IN DRAMA that could have come from the pages of a best-selling crime novel, kidnappers of 40-year-old Diamond Vale resident Vandana Ali shot to death a 15-year-old girl and her 23-year-old male companion who were inside a car, which was then set alight by the kidnappers on a road in Blue Basin, on Sunday night. The madness did not end there as the kidnappers then took a terrified Ali further up the road, shot her at point-blank range in the face and threw her in some bushes before setting her car alight. Still, the drama was not yet complete. The kidnappers who earlier demanded a ransom from Ali’s family, subsequently went to an area near Ali’s home and collected $8,000.

Ali, a clerk employed with NH International, remained warded at hospital yesterday under heavy police protection. Sunday night’s madness in Western Trinidad sent the overall murder rate in this country to 143, with seven months still remaining in the year. The charred, almost unrecognisable remains of 15-year-old Elena Cupid, a Form Three student of Mucurapo Junior Secondary, who lived at Simeon Road, Petit Valley and her companion Kevin Renaud Cassie, 23, a father of a four-year-old boy of Covigne Road, Diego Martin, are now at the Forensic Science Centre where autopsies will be carried out today. The stepfather of Cupid and a sister of Cassie were the ones who positively identified the charred remains yesterday afternoon at the Forensic Science Centre.

Officers of the West End Police Station made the  macabre discovery of the couple burning inside the car after they acted on a tip-off that two robbery suspects were sighted in the Diego Martin area. After giving chase across St Lucien Road, past River Estate and into Blue Basin Road, the officers came across the two burning cars. One car — a Hyundai Accent still bore the smoking remains of the couple, while the second burning car — a Mazda 323 — was found empty by the officers who later came across a moaning, badly bleeding and barely conscious Ali in some bushes where she was thrown by her abductors. Ali’s nightmare started about 8 pm on Sunday when while attempting to open the front gate of her home after arriving in her car, she was accosted by two gunmen who ordered her back into the Mazda 323.

Ali was ordered to drive in the direction of Blue Basin. The kidnappers demanded a contact number for her relatives and ordered them to pay an $8,000 ransom for Ali’s safe return. When Ali and the kidnappers got to Blue Basin Road, they passed a parked Hyundai Accent in which Cupid and Cassie were seated. Ali’s car stopped and while one of her abductors stayed in the car with her, the other crept up to the couple’s car and shot both Cupid and Cassie in the head. The killer then stepped away from the car and fired a shot at the gas tank, which exploded causing the vehicle to be engulfed in flames. A terrified Ali was ordered to drive further up the hill where she was tied up, shot in the face and then thrown into bushes. Her car was then set on fire. The killers walked out of the area and fled the scene. They reportedly made their way to a location close to Diego Martin where they collected the $8,000 ransom demanded for Ali.

About 10 pm, officers from West End Police Station were pursuing two suspects in a Lancer when they lost the vehicle in the vicinity of Blue Basin. Officers drove into Blue Basin Road where they came across the smouldering car and the two burnt bodies. On checking further up the hill they came upon the second burning car and rescued Ali who was heard crying in nearby bushes. When Newsday attempted to interview Ali at Port-of-Spain General Hospital, the police guard said she was in protective care and could not be interviewed by the press for security reasons. At Diamond Vale, neighbours of Ali expressed shock and dismay over the kidnapping and added that they no longer felt safe in their homes. Relatives of Ali said that they were not in a position to say anything at this time.

At Blue Basin Road, residents of the area said that they too were afraid to venture out at nights because of rampant crime in the area. They blamed a gang of teenagers for a series of shootings and robberies in the area. Yesterday, West End Police told Newsday that almost on a nightly basis they are forced to reprimand couples for using the Blue Basin area as a lovers’ den. The unlit area is used by couples who park their vehicles there. Three suspects from Bagatelle were arrested yesterday and a quantity of cash seized. Police believe they may be able to solve the two murders and the kidnapping of Ali. Snr Supt Roderick Roach, Insp Anthony Lezama, ASP Henry Mil-lington and Cpl Marcelle visited the scene along with lead investigator detective Sgt Joyce James Martin.

Family in shock over double murder

RELATIVES of the country’s latest murder victims — Kevin Renaud Cassie, 23, and Elena Cupid, 15, yesterday expressed shock over their bizarre killings. Cassie, a PH driver of Covigne Road, Diego Martin and Cupid, of Simeon Road, were last seen alive on Sunday night when Cassie left Covigne Road to drop Cupid home. Earlier, the two were part of a group which attended an excursion to Quinam Beach, Quinam. The two were seen having a good time and Cassie was accustomed dropping Cupid home. The Form Three student of Mucurapo Junior Secondary School was supposed to return to her home on Sunday night but when she failed to do so her relatives became worried.

About 5 pm yesterday, relatives of both Cupid and Cassie went to the West End Police Station to lodge a missing persons report. At the station, they identified clothing and other items found on the murder scene as belonging to the two murder victims. Police investigators told Newsday that Cassie, a PH driver and father of a four-year-old boy may have known the killers and was killed because he recognised them at the murder scene. Kelvin Cassie, a relative of Kevin yesterday gave a statement to the police that the burnt-out car which was set on fire by the killers belonged to him. He loaned the Accent to Kevin to work PH in the Diego Martin area. The sister of Cassie and the stepfather of Cupid were too distraught to be interviewed yesterday.