Cops ID Rio Claro kidnappers

THE FIVE men who Tuesday attempted to kidnap Rio Claro businessman Narine Ramrattan, 43, have been identified, and police have launched a nationwide manhunt. According to a police source, the crashed Mazda 323 car, which was used to abduct Ramrattan, is now at the Rio Claro Police Station. The vehicle has been traced to its owner, who has since been questioned. The police source said the car was rented from the owner to a person from North Trinidad.

Acting on the information received, police have since searched several areas in the North and expect to make arrests shortly. The suspects, when arrested, are to be placed on an identification parade. Ramrattan, proprietor of Ramrattan’s Hardware at High Street, Rio Claro, was snatched from his businessplace by three men around 7.30 am. He was bundled into the back seat of the vehicle. However, on reaching the Rio Claro Roundabout, the kidnappers lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the back of a Honda Civic. The suspects were forced to abandon the car and the victim as a result of the crash. They (the kidnappers) reportedly fled the scene on foot and, within seconds, escaped in another vehicle already occupied by two other men.