2 cousins kidnapped at Gulf View

A $5 million ransom demand has reportedly been made for the release of  the son and nephew of a prominent southern businessman who were both snatched from the businessman’s Gulf View home sometime between Saturday night and yesterday morning. Inchan Mohan, proprietor of Priya’s Creation, only became aware that his son, Amith, 24, and nephew, Videsh, 20, had been kidnapped after one of the abductors telephoned his home at West Coast Drive. Police sources told Newsday the kidnappers asked for $5 million for their safe release but Mohan has denied that a ransom demand had been made.

The two young men were last seen in the pool area to the back of the house. No one saw when the two were snatched. Police suspect that the kidnappers grabbed Amith and Videsh, bundled them into Mohan’s black Primera motorcar, which was parked in the garage and escaped. The vehicle was found abandoned in Diamond Village, San Fernando, around 9.35 am yesterday. Amith works with his father who owns a chain of businesses in North and South Trinidad. Videsh, of High Street, Princes Town, is the son of Mohan’s brother. Videsh, whose father runs a jewelry store in Princes Town, was visiting with his cousin for the weekend. At Amith’s home yesterday, his father, Mohan, confirmed that the kidnappers called him around 2.30 am. However, the businessman said the kidnapper told him he had his son and nephew and would call him back on today for a ransom.

Mohan said the last time he saw his son and nephew was around 3 pm on Saturday in Chaguanas. The businessman said he was asleep when they returned home around 9.10 pm. Mohan said Videsh usually spent the weekends over at his (Mohan’s) house. Asked if he wanted to make an appeal, Mohan said, “I don’t think we are at the mercy of them really. They did their job and had to be really heartless to do something like this.”  Confident that the kidnappers would contact him again, Mohan said, We will deal with it then.” Videsh’s relatives remained inside Mohan’s house and refused to comment on the incident. Visiting the scene were a party of officers from the San Fernando CID and the  Anti-Kidnapping Squad led by Senior Supts Nadir Mohammed and Leon Anthony. Cpl Phillips is continuing investigations.