No new leads on Ria

“We all mean well,” the weeping man said. “I know we all love Ria and want to see her back home, and just as you want Ria I want her back too. I am asking you not to send out those flyers and delete all those numbers.” Mark became very emotional when he called on relatives and friends present, to recall the posters issued in Ria’s name and displaying six telephone numbers which were not authorised by him.

He asked that they be removed from social media as their presence was hampering investigations.

Yesterday, relatives confirmed that their telephone numbers were taken off the list and that new flyers have been printed with new contact numbers.

He advised persons with information on her whereabouts to call 679-3165/623-6793 or 800 TIPS.

Sombre relatives and friends stayed up all through Thursday night into yesterday morning hoping for that one call that could bring them closer to bringing Ria, 34, home to Mark and children Elena, nine and Toraz, five.

Their wait up to press time last night, however, was in vain and yesterday with the hours slowly ticking away since the young woman was last seen, police and well wishers intensified their search for her.

Relatives and friends meanwhile continued to offer prayers for her safe return. Over the last 48 hours futile searches have been conducted in the Icacos, Cedros, Erin and other villages in the south western peninsula. Searches were also carried out in Moruga and environs.

Yesterday, at the family’s home in Ragoo Village, Extension, Wellington Road, Debe, a steady stream of persons came to offer support to the family. No ransom demand has been made.

Inside the family home, Insp Don Gajadhar along with Sgt Narcis and officers of the Anti Kidnapping Unit (AKU) spent time speaking to relatives. Around 8.15 am on Thursday, Sookdeo was driving her red Nissan X Trail van and had just dropped off her children to classes at Picton Presbyterian Primary School in Debe when she was abducted.

A report stated that a man dressed in a police uniform exited a black Nissan X Trail van that had blocked her path when she attempted to turn around her van.

He bundled her into his vehicle and sped off.

Ria’s cell phone and handbag remained in her vehicle. Her young children have been asking for her and relatives have informed them she is ill and had to be hospitalised.

An elderly relative said it caused little Toraz to ask for help for his mother.

“He took one of her pictures and wrote behind it “help Mummy”, the emotional relative said.

“The girl is crying, saying she wants to get back her mummy. It is very sad,” another relative revealed.

On the day of the incident, police were the ones who took the children home from school.

Relatives said the children know something is wrong because they keep questioning persons visiting their home. The children did not attend school yesterday.

“Their father couldn’t tell them what really happen to the mummy, because he himself is crying all the time,” another relative confided.

Relatives said they kept vigil all night. “No one has slept since this happened yesterday (Thursday)”, Newsday was told. “Some have been searching, while others have been praying.” Investigations are continuing.

In a media release Member of Parliament Dr Roodal Moonilal expressed “deep concern” over the kidnapping and blamed government for the current state of crime in the country.

The statement read in part: “The abduction is another chilling example of the Rowley regime’s failure to protect the nation despite lofty manifesto and platform promises and the appointment of three Ministers of National Security.” Moonilal said Government had betrayed the country on crime, as it has done with respect to virtually every other area of national endeavour.

While crime across the world is managed by effective public policy, the PNM Government - he said - has removed community patrols and other deterrent programmes, resulting in easier movement by criminals.