Schoolgirl, man snatched in an hour

WITHIN the space of an hour on Thursday night, two persons — a Valencia schoolgirl and a Carenage man — were kidnapped at gunpoint in separate incidents. The incidents bring to three the number of persons kidnapped this week.

Police sources told Newsday in the first incident, at around 8.30 pm, Cindy Mahase, a 13-year-old Form Two student of Five Rivers Junior Secondary School was kidnapped outside her Valencia home and a $100,000 ransom was demanded for her safe return. Her mother, Sheriffa Mohammed, reported to the Valencia Police that she and her daughter were driving home in her car and when they arrived at the entrance to her home, she called out to her brother Fareed, 33, to open the door to the house. As they waited, two men armed with guns and another with a cutlass, pushed Fareed into the trunk of the car. They ordered Mohammed to the back seat of the car where she was robbed of $640 and a quantity of jewelry. Cindy was left in the front passenger seat.

The kidnappers then drove Mohammed’s car to Valencia where they blindfolded her and ordered her to hand over $100,000 for her daughter’s safe return. Mohammed, 35, told investigators she pleaded with the kidnappers to free her daughter and informed them she only had $10,000 in the bank. Mohammed was the owner of a roti shop in Arima but recently sold it and put the cash in the bank. She also told investigators the kidnappers drove the car for some time and then stopped and ran off with the girl, who was heard pleading with the kidnappers to allow her to stay with her mother.

Mohammed said when she thought the kidnappers had left she removed the blind fold and realised that she was at Pro Queen Street, Arima. She then freed her brother from the trunk of the car. A report was then made to the Valencia Police Post. Officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad were alerted and they went to the scene where they interviewed Mohammed and her brother. When Newsday visited the family’s San Pedro Road, Valencia home, two police officers from the Sangre Grande Task Force stood guard outside the house. No one was at home. Neighbours of the kidnapped girl described her as a quiet person. They said her father died two years ago and her mother ran a roti shop to make ends meet. That shop was sold recently. No one could say why Mohammed was targetted. Police officers told Newsday they are working round the clock to ensure the schoolgirl is freed. She is the fourth child to be kidnapped in recent times. In the other kidnapping, Stanley De Here, 42, of Frisco Junction, Abbe Poujade Street, Carenage, was forced into a car. The incident was witnessed by his common-law wife.

According to reports, at around 9.30 pm, De Here was standing on Abbe Poujade Street with his common-law wife Sherry Ann Guiseppi, when a dark-coloured car with four men pulled alongside. Two men armed with pistols alighted from the vehicle, placed their guns to De Here’s head and forced him into their car which sped off. A report was made to the Carenage police and officers, led by Sgt Stephen Joefield and including Ag Cpl Levine, PC Lezama, and others, visited the scene. Police sources said a ransom of $75,000 was asked for De Here’s safe release. These two kidnappings followed that of 13-year-old Gewan Geelal, son of  San Juan businessman Premnath Geelal, who was abducted on Wednesday as he was being driven to school. Up to late yesterday none of the three kidnapped victims had been released. Anti-Kidnapping Squad officers are continuing investigations.