Sascha Wilson
Senior Reporter
A civil engineer employed with the Ministry of Works was abducted at gunpoint, taken out to sea in a boat, robbed and beaten before being released on shore during a brazen attack in Claxton Bay on Thursday.
Police said the incident occurred around 2 pm. The 42-year-old man told police he had stopped along the Southern Main Road near the Claxton Bay Fishing Facility to investigate a noise coming from his Toyota Hilux when he was confronted by two armed bandits.
The gunmen forced him into a pirogue, where a third suspect was waiting. They then took him out to sea and robbed him of a gold chain valued at $12,000, a ring worth $7,000 and a watch valued at $4,000.
The assailants dealt him several blows to his back before throwing his Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra cellphone, valued at $6,000, and the keys to his vehicle into the sea.
They later moored at a jetty near Dansteel, ordered him to disembark and bound his hands and feet. They then fled in the pirogue. The victim eventually freed himself and sought assistance. Police are continuing investigations.
Minors runaway from home
Police are searching for two minors who reportedly ran away from a children’s home in Point Fortin on Friday. The 14-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl were last seen by a caretaker in the yard of Frendean’s Place Children’s Home around 3 pm. About 10 minutes later, around 3.15 pm, the caretaker was alerted by other children that the pair had climbed over a wall and left the compound without indicating where they were going.
The boy is described as being of light brown complexion, of mixed descent, with short curly hair. He was wearing black track pants with a red stripe, a grey T-shirt, a grey jacket and a red baseball cap. The girl is described as being of brown complexion, of African descent, with a stocky build and shoulder-length curly hair. She was wearing a knitted black hat, grey capri jeans and a blue polo T-shirt. Officers from the Point Fortin Police Station are investigating.
A PH driver hijacked and shot
Police are hunting for two men who hijacked, shot and robbed a PH driver in Siparia last Wednesday. The 35-year-old man told police at around 10 pm he was plying his Nissan B14 for hire along High Street, Siparia, when he stopped to pick up two men.
While travelling along Quarry Road, Siparia, one of the men pulled out a firearm and they began beating him about the head. They then took control of the vehicle and drove him to an area along the Golconda Connector Road, where he was forced into nearby bushes. The driver was shot once in the upper right side of his back before the bandits fled with his car.
Despite his injuries, he managed to make his way out of the bushes and seek assistance. He was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, where he was warded in stable condition.
Officers from the Ste Madeleine Police Station are investigating.
