POLICE: HE WAS WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND

FIFTEEN-year-old Anthony Saroop who disappeared outside the Marabella Senior Comprehensive School 18 days ago, turned up at his aunt’s home early yesterday morning in Gasparillo around 1 o’clock.

Saroop said he had been dropped off by his kidnappers.

However, police are investigating the circumstances of this case as Saroop told police who were called by his aunt, Charmaine, that he had not been held against his will, but had been staying with a girlfriend in Williams-ville.

For 18 days his mother, Patricia Saroop, had been begging and praying for his safe return from his kidnappers who had demanded ransom sums varying from $8 million to $750,000.

Yesterday, the mother did not speak to reporters, but hugged and kissed her son, glad only to have him back home.

When asked by Newsday what had transpired for the last three weeks, Saroop said he had been held in a wooden shack by armed gunmen. He said he was given only snacks to eat and water to drink. However, police stated that when the teenager was questioned early yesterday morning at his aunt’s home at Happy Hill, Gasparillo, he told police that he had been with his girlfriend.

Police are now investigating the circumstances and paying close attention to the statement which Saroop gave to them and subsequent statements in order to determine whether or not he had been kidnapped or was at the home of a friend.

Saroop was reported kidnapped on August 9.

He left his home earlier that day telling relatives that he was going to an internet cafe and was last seen that day outside the gates of the Marabella Senior Comprehensive School around 5 pm.

His mother, who is a cashier at a racing pool, had begged his kidnappers to return her son unharmed saying she did not have "even 100 cents" to pay a ransom.

Yesterday, saying he felt "safe and happy" to be home, Saroop told Newsday that while he was kidnapped, he was kept in a wooden shack under guard by heavily armed masked men.

"I don’t know where I was," Saroop said.

"All I could see was some big, big men with guns." Saroop said his masked kidnappers did not tie or gag him, but they kept sedating him while they held him captive.

"They kept knocking me out with chloroform," the teenager told Newsday. He said he was fed mainly snacks, such as Kiss cakes, and drank only water. He said he was not harmed by his captors but they gave him a short haircut.

He said he did not know why his abductors had released him, but only remembered being dropped off at Gasparillo.

Responding to the police report that he had told them he was at a girlfriend’s house over the last three weeks, Saroop said, "I can’t remember what statement I gave to them." The teenager denied that he had a girlfriend, or any friends, residing at Williamsville.

Saroop’s family said they did not pay any ransom money for his return.