BELMONT WOMAN KIDNAPPED

A 21-year-old Belmont woman was kidnapped Wednesday night by four men claiming to be police, and a ransom has been asked for her safe return, police sources told Newsday yesterday.

Members of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) along with officers of the St Clair Criminal Investigations Department (CID) searched an area in Maraval yesterday afternoon and held a man for questioning. He was in custody up to late evening. The 15th kidnap victim for ransom for the year has been identified as Kerri Greaves, daughter of Newsday’s senior reporter Debra Greaves, and Neale Greaves, manager of the PTSC Terminal Mall. At the time of the latest kidnapping, Kerri, had just finished speaking with her boyfriend, Qwesi Toussaint at Riversdale Road, Maraval, and was going to meet her close friend Vanessa Phillip, at the corner of Scott Hill and Saddle Road.

Phillip is the daughter of the pastor of the Lighthouse Ministries, Duke Street, Port-of-Spain.  Greaves also attends the church and is a student at the School of Business and Computer Science. According to the police, around 9 pm Wednesday, four armed men, dressed in black and wearing hoods, and also claiming to be police, approached the two women in a black Nissan B13 Sentra vehicle. At gunpoint, police said the men forced Greaves and Phillip in the vehicle and drove around with them for sometime, during which time masks were placed on the faces of both women.

Police said the vehicle stopped at the traffic lights at the Morvant Junction and Phillip was thrown out. The vehicle then drove off with Greaves who remained unaccounted for up to late evening. Phillip went to the Maraval Police Station where she made a report, which was also lodged at the St Clair Station. She was then treated at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Officers at the St Clair Criminal Investigations Department (CID) under Cpl Brian Mercer, and including PC Stephens along with PCs Williams and Matas of the AKS visited the scene and conducted investigations. Around 12.45pm yesterday, police told Newsday a male relative received a telephone call requesting a ransom (they declined to disclose how much) for the woman’s safe return. 

The caller further said that the money was to be paid by 6 pm yesterday, and warned relatives not to contact the police, or the media.  Another call came at 1.15pm. Police later traced the calls to phone booths on the Brian Lara Promenade and Tragarete Road. At the family’s home yesterday, Neale Greaves said he was mystified at his daughter’s kidnapping and appealed to the kidnappers to release his daughter unharmed. “This is disturbing and I am not satified that we should be a target. “We are a poor family and this has to be a clear case of mistaken identity,” he said. He added that the family was not involved in any illegal activities and does not have any extra revenue-earning business. “This is very much disturbing,” he said.

Neale Greaves went on to say that approximately three weeks ago, four men fitting the same description tried to grab his daughter outside the Lighthouse Ministries Church, but that she got away. This was confirmed by Phillip, who, in an interview from her Maraval home, said that when she and Greaves had been standing together on Wednesday night Greaves recognised a passing black car as one that had been following her recently. Phillip said that during the time she was held in the vehicle, with Greaves, the men kept telling each other to “pass the guns” and cautioned them to keep their heads down or else they would be shot. She declined further comment and the AKS together with officers of the St Clair CID are continuing investigations. Neale Greaves also asked the Government of the day to do something about the kidnappings, since it appears to be getting out of hand.