Valsayn businessman still in the hands of kidnappers

KIDNAP victim Peter De Freitas, who was kidnapped early Saturday, remained in the hands of his kidnappers yesterday. Worried relatives told Newsday that they have not been able to eat or sleep since the incident. They said that they did not want details of the kidnapping printed in the media since the police investigation was at a sensitive stage. Police investigators told Newsday that kidnappers have made several telephone contacts with the De Freitas family demanding $3 million for his return. All the phone calls to the De Freitas home came from public phone booths in Port-of-Spain and investigators were unable to trace any of the calls thus far. De Freitas, a 21-year old businessman of 22, Valsayn, Avenue, Valsayn, was kidnapped while in company with a friend at Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, around 3 am on Saturday. Emile Ali, 25, who was also kidnapped with De Freitas was released at the Caroni Cremation Site around 4 am on Saturday.

Ali told Caroni Police that he went to make a deposit at the Woodbrook branch of Republic Bank in company with De Freitas, when they were confronted by four masked men armed with guns. They were both robbed and bundled into a car. He claimed that they were blindfolded and he was dropped off at the Caroni Cremation Site. At the De Freitas home yesterday, relatives, friends and neighbours gathered to give support to the worried relatives of the kidnap victim. Senior police officers of the AKS said yesterday that they were working along certain lines and were hoping to rescue De Freitas shortly.