Vijay’s kidnappers demand $40,000 ransom

KIDNAPPERS demanded $40,000 for the release of ten-year-old Vijay Persad, who was abducted from outside his father’s Moruga shop 43 days ago. This latest ransom demand prompted a response from the police who visited the home of the missing boy’s father, shopkeeper Rajkumar Persad yesterday afternoon. Persad told Newsday he received a telephone call last week Thursday. The voice on the telephone demanded $40,000 for the release of his son. Persad made a stirring plea for assistance from the public to raise the money for the ransom. “Put something in the papers, nah. I need people to contribute this money.”

Since Vijay’s kidnapping on June 21, there have been reports of various sums being demanded from the Persads for his safe return. First it was $500,000, then $300,000. The Persads have re-opened their shop for business and yesterday when Newsday visited, Vijay’s mother, Marilyn and husband Rajkumar Persad, were busy attending to customers in the shop. As she attended to customers, Marilyn said: “I keeping hope. People hardly come again, but we do our own prayers every night.” Yesterday, Sgt Naimool Hosein of the Moruga Police Station and a party of policemen questioned the Persads about the telephone calls. A senior investigator told Newsday while they have not given up hope of finding Vijay, information gathered about his disappearance has led them to believe the boy is alive and in good health.