Taxi driver kidnapped, thrown over cliff

TAXI driver Sam Martin Beharry was kidnapped Tuesday night and thrown over a cliff near the lookout at North Coast Road, Maraval, police said.

Beharry, of Rich Plain Road, Diego Martin, was found crawling out of some bushes by a passerby around 10am yesterday. He was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), where he was warded. up to late evening he was nursing what police said were injuries to his chest.  A relative told Newsday he was in good condition. Officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS), headed by Sr Supt Gilbert Reyes, questioned him and said they are treating the incident as a kidnapping. 

Police reports are that around 9.30pm Tuesday, Beharry was plying his white Accent car from Port-of-Spain to Diego Martin, on reaching the Diego Martin turn-off, he picked up three male passengers. After passing Crystal Stream, police said one of the passengers pointed a firearm at Beharry’s head. They then made him drive to Blue Basin, where they robbed him of his wallet, tied him up and placed him in his car trunk. Police said Beharry was unable to say what happened after that.  However relatives told police that they called Beharry’s cellphone around 2.20am yesterday and that the people on the other end said they wanted $100,000 for his safe return. 

Police said relatives told the strangers that they only had $3,000 and when they asked to speak to Beharry, they were told that he was sleeping in a room. However, police said they believe that at the time the demand was made, Beharry was already thrown over the cliff. His car was discovered at Third Avenue, Barataria. No arrests had been made and officers of the AKS under ASP Henry Millington along with Four Roads police are continuinng with the investigations.