$58 million demanded in ransoms — $2 million paid

KIDNAPPERS have for the year demanded $58,770,000 for the safe release of 33 kidnap victims, police sources told Newsday yesterday.

Of the huge sum, police sources said, only $1,900,000 have been paid to kidnappers.  Thirty one of the 33 victims have been returned to their families alive, while one — Damien Schneider — was murdered and another one, Darrell Chotoo is feared dead, but his body has not yet been found. Like murders, police said the 33 victims kidnapped for ransoms for this year has more than doubled the entire amount of last year, which stood at 15. Police sources said the ransom figure for those 15 is also far less than the $58,770,000 demanded so far for this year’s 33 kidnap victims. The total ransom demand figure asked for the 15 victims stood at TT$41 million and $US 2 million at the end of last year. Six million in TT dollars and US$13,000 were paid by their relatives and $127,000 was recovered by members of the Anti Kidnapping Squad (AKS). Police sources said ten of the 33 kidnappings have been solved and 23 people charged, while five of last year’s 15 kidnappings for ransom were solved. The country’s most wanted man identified by police as 32-year-old Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell is among the 23 charged.

Lovell, of Morvant, and two other men referred to until yesterday only as “Fruity” and “Gumbo” are wanted for the July 17 kidnapping of teenagers Yves Ayoung Chee and Benedict Barrette at Marli Street, Newtown. The three men remained at large up to late evening and there are reports that Lovell has skipped the country.  However, senior AKS officials said this could be used as a ploy to throw the police off. They also noted that Trinidad and Tobago is surrounded by water and that Lovell could have left by boat. A legal source also said he heard of Lovell’s alleged skip.  Checks with airlines yesterday also came up futile.   An airline spokesman said they were asked to look out for the wanted man even before warrants were issued for the arrests of the three men. “If he has left the country, it would be under a different name and carrier,” the spokesman told Newsday. However, someone close to Lovell told Newsday that the most wanted man allegedly left the country dressed as a woman. The Crime Stoppers is offering a $100,000 reward for Lovell.  The figure was increased from $25,000 because of his alleged involvement in other kidnappings.