4 soldiers held for murder

The soldiers were handcuffed around midday by the police officers probing the kidnapping and murder, and ordered into heavily tinted vehicles.

The soldiers were expected to be charged late yesterday with the kidnapping and murder.

In a release issued late yesterday by the police and Defence Force, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Commissioner of Police assured the citizens of this country that deviant behaviour among respective ranks will neither be condoned, nor swept under the carpet, and perpetrators, once discovered, will feel the full brunt of the law.

The arrests are the the result of months of investigations by a team of homicide officers led by Insp Johnny Abraham, Cpls Eric Parks, Wendell Lucas and PCs Kendell Abraham, Pilgrim and Trotmas.

The officers were assisted in their investigations by officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and officers of the Defence Force.

Yesterday, Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson gave instructions to the police to lay charges of kidnapping and murder against the four soldiers.

Homicide officers informed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Brigadier Ancil Antoine of the DPP’s directions and sought Antoine’s assistance to have the four soldiers detained.

Instructions were given by the CDS to place the soldiers under house arrest.

All four soldiers were on duty at the time of their arrest.

They are expected to appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate on Monday.

Police sources revealed that more arrests are imminent in the kidnapping and murder of Maharaj.

Three persons are already before the courts charged with Maharaj’s murder. Maharaj, a father of three, was kidnapped in Aranjuez on April 6, 2005.

A $2 million ransom was demanded for his release. The US government later offered US$10,000 for information leading to his whereabouts.

The decapitated body of the 62-year-old man was found in a shallow grave in Santa Cruz on January 8.

The dead man’s relatives are calling for swift justice.