South man shot in brave battle with kidnappers

KIDNAPPERS fled when Marabella car parts dealer Faiz Ali put up an heroic fight to save his wife and son from being kidnapped Thursday night, despite taking two bullets in the foot from would-be abductors. Ali is the proprietor of Faiz’s Auto Supplies Ltd on Battoo Boulevard and, according to a police report, it was about 5 pm when son Dave, 23, was confronted by two masked men at the family’s adjacent roll-on roll-off foreign used car sales depot. The men, one wearing a ski mask and the other a bandana, pulled up in a white B12 Nissan Sentra car.

The report stated that the two kidnappers came out of the vehicle and walked up to Dave, who was in front of the businessplace cleaning a car. Pointing a gun at Dave, the report stated, the men grabbed him by the arm. Holding on to Dave, the report said, the men walked up to Dave’s mother, Shara, 48, who had been standing in the yard just a few  metres away from Dave. Police said one of the men grabbed Shara by the hair. The men attempted to push both mother and son into their car, but according to the report, mother and son tried to fight off the abductors. Ali, who was inside the businessplace, heard the commotion and ran out. Police said he cuffed and kicked one of the bandits.

A struggle ensued as the men tried to push Shara and Dave into the vehicle, during which Ali was thrown on the ground. The report stated that when Ali attempted to get up, one of the kidnappers fired two shots, hitting Ali in the right leg. The masked men then let Shara and Dave go and jumped into their car. Ali was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital by EHS ambulance, where he was treated for gunshot wounds. He was discharged yesterday morning. Ali’s eldest daughter Sherine, 29, told Newsday yesterday that her parents and brother were traumatised and wanted to avoid speaking about the incident. “They are really traumatised. This incident has everyone shaken, but we are grateful to God that all is well now,” Sherine said.