A BUSINESSWOMAN and a teenage boy who have been linked to the abduction, torture, and assault of a 42-year-old woman for seven months have been served preventive detention orders (PDOs).
Sabita Basdeo, a domestic worker, told police she was beaten, burnt, and her head banged against a wall of a house in Penal. Her seven-month ordeal came to an end when she was rescued on April 11.
Businesswoman:
Fareeda Balgobin
The orders were signed on April 20 by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, in accordance with Paragraph 2 of the Schedule to the Emergency Powers Regulations of 2026.
The orders are pursuant to Regulation 14, which facilitates “preventative detentions” where it is necessary to prevent persons from acting in a manner prejudicial to public safety based on intelligence received. However, they have yet to be published/gazetted.
The Express was provided copies of the orders that name Fareeda Alladin Balgobin of Deosaran Trace, San Francique, Penal, and Rochard Road, Penal, as well as a minor who cannot be publicly identified because of his age.
The minor is expected to be held at the Youth Training and Rehabilitation Centre, while Balgobin is expected to be held at the Women’s Prison in Arouca.
The reasons for both detentions were similar—that they both had alleged involvement in an informal crime group (ICG) operating in the Penal district.
They were identified through investigative material and intelligence as members of the group, which was said to be involved in kidnapping, false imprisonment, forced labour, grievous sexual assault, serious indecency and attempted murder.
Authorities said the detainees and others intended to continue these activities and had threatened to kill witnesses.
Balgobin and the 17-year-old have been in custody since April 11.
Police reported that Basdeo, a mother of two, escaped on the night of the arrests after she ran to officers at the Barrackpore Police Station. She appeared with visible injuries to her face and hands, and told officers she had been abused by the suspects.
She alleged that between September 2025 and April 2026, she was held against her will, forced to perform domestic duties, and prevented from leaving. She reported being beaten, burned, and threatened with death if she attempted to escape.
Days later, on April 15, one of Balgobin’s homes was damaged by fire—a three-bedroom concrete house along Deosaran Trace. The property, valued at $1.98 million and owned by Balgobin, was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
Police suspect arson, as officers who visited the scene observed a broken bedroom window and evidence that a Molotov cocktail had been used.
