TEACHER HELD FOR SAADA’S KIDNAPPING

TWO WOMEN - one of whom is a teacher at a southern Montessori school - and four men, were expected to be charged last night on instructions from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffery Henderson, for the kidnapping of three-year-old  Saada Singh, who celebrates her fourth birthday tomorrow. Police sources told Newsday a 33-year-old teacher of Jarvis Street, Vistabella, was the mastermind behind a plot to kidnap the child and demand a $2 million ransom from Saada’s parents. Police met yesterday evening with DPP Henderson in Port-of-Spain, while the six suspects remained in custody at San Fernando and Marabella police stations. Saada was kidnapped last Thursday outside Giselle’s Montessori school at Archibald Street, Vistabella by a woman who wore a wig and who drove to the school in a Nissan B14 Sentra. Police reports indicated the kidnapping occurred moments after a woman telephoned the school saying Saada’s parents were attending to an emergency and could not pick up the child.

Saada was taken away by a woman who used the name ‘Michelle’ and in a subsequent interview with police, a teacher told investigators Saada had known the woman who came to the school to collect her. Less than half an hour after Saada was taken, her parents - Sean and Ria Singh - were contacted by the kidnappers who threatened to kill the child if any report was made to police. Saada was reportedly taken to a shack in a forested area at Gonsalves Village, Point Fortin. Police sources told Newsday the much publicised kidnapping, coupled with a major search operation by law enforcement agencies including aerial searches from the National Security Services helicopter, ground searches with sniffer dogs and police road blocks, may have panicked the kidnappers and caused them to abandon their operation. Last Saturday morning, Saada was found wandering and rescued at Murray Trace, Siparia by KFC delivery driver Deoraj Ragoonathsingh.

Up to late yesterday, investigators were awaiting instructions from the DPP to charge the suspects who include a teacher with ten years experience; her 22-year-old cousin of Crawford Street, Vistabella; “Michelle”, 23, who is unemployed and from Pleasantville; a 25-year-old unemployed man of Vessigny and two male suspects aged 31 and 20, from Gonsalves Village, Point Fortin. Police said the suspects were to be charged last night with a series of offenses including kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and conspiracy to kidnap. Two of the suspects, who surrendered to police, claimed they did not know Saada was kidnapped after the child was sent to their (the two men) home for safe keeping.

The two claimed Saada was left at their home by a man who said he was her stepfather. The two said they only realised she had been kidnapped when they saw newspaper reports on Saturday. They further told police that they panicked and dropped Saada off at Murray Trace, Siparia on Saturday afternoon.  Saada is the daughter of businessman Sean Singh and his wife, Ria. The family owns Compression and Power Services Ltd - an industrial supply and services company - based in Maharaj Avenue, Marabella. Involved in the investigations which were coordinated by ACP (South) Dennis Graham were Snr Supt Dawson Victor, Supt Rajindranath Maharaj, Supt Krishna Maharaj, Insp David Cooper, PC Clint Williams and officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS).