Friday, August 3 2012

Ricardo Daniel, 32, of Trincity, staged his own kidnapping at about 10 pm on July 24 last. An accomplice to the kidnapping who was captured by officers of the Anti-Kidnapping-Unit (AKU) and the Anti-Gang-Unit (AGU), confessed that the incident was staged by the hostage to extort money from his father.

Daniel is the son of a Trincity businessman who owns a garage at Old St Joseph Road, Laventille. According to police sources, the victim’s Suzuki vehicle was found abandoned in Barataria, at about midnight on July 24 last.

The alleged kidnappers telephoned relatives of Daniel and called for a ransom of $500,000.

The victim’s father reported the incident to the police.

The officers of the AKU and AGU conducted investigations which led to the arrest of a 31-year-old man of Laventille who confessed that the entire incident was a plot by Daniel and himself to extort money from Daniel’s father.

The alleged victim and his accomplice were charged for the offence of wasteful employment of the police time. They were scheduled to appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate yesterday.

Sgt Wayne Mystar, at the daily police briefing yesterday, said the Police Service, together with the Anti-Kidnapping-Unit, has a zero policy tolerance for persons who attempt to engage in those types of acts that will cause the wasteful employment of the police time.