No ransom demand for Micha

UP TO late yesterday there was no ransom demand and no word on the whereabouts of nine-year-old Micha Bernard who was abducted on Don Miguel Road, San Juan last Saturday evening.

Officers of the Anti Kidnapping Squad (AKS) who are exploring all angles in the abduction of the boy have so far encountered several dead ends in their investigations. Micha, a Third Standard pupil of Barataria Anglican School who lives at Sixth Street, Barataria, was on his way home from a birthday party in company with a cousin when he was abducted by armed men in a heavily-tinted green vehicle. He is the son of Marlon Bernard, a Customs Clerk, and Marcia Bernard, a clerk at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. They are of the firm view that Bernard’s kidnapping was a case of mistaken identity.

Yesterday, Newsday went to the area where Micha was kidnapped near a relative’s house on Don Miguel Road. One resident said the green Accent had followed Micha and his cousin from the birthday party, while another said the occupants had changed the vehicle’s number plate after they got Micha. A neighbour said she heard screams but by the time she went to the front of her home, the abductors had already gone with Bernard.

Newsday also visited the boy’s school where teachers and students were distraught over the abduction. Principal Claudette Grant-Gooding said no one could talk or work and it was an emotional time. Grant-Gooding said the entire staff, children, TTUTA representatives and others were in tears. “It’s a family school and I am trying to console the staff and children,” she said.  Micha’s classmates were counselled by a doctor yesterday and prayers were offered for his safe return.  TTUTA president Trevor Oliver appealed to the relevant authorities to formulate laws to “strongly deal” with “the menace of kidnapping”.  Relatives are appealing to the public to contact them if they have any information on Micha’s whereabouts. Investigations, spearheaded by Sr Supt Gilbert Reyes, head of the AKS, are continuing.